


Amelia Sharpe

by ADangerousGame



Category: Crimson Peak (2015)
Genre: Angst, Brother-Sister Relationships, F/F, F/M, Multi, Romance, Sibling Incest, Sister-Sister Relationship, Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-09
Updated: 2020-12-07
Packaged: 2021-03-09 07:33:47
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 5
Words: 50,450
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27467254
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ADangerousGame/pseuds/ADangerousGame
Summary: "Do you find me repulsive, now?" he whispered.
Relationships: Edith Cushing/Alan McMichael, Lucille Sharpe/Thomas Sharpe, Thomas Sharpe & Original Female Character(s), Thomas Sharpe/Original Character(s), Thomas Sharpe/Original Female Character(s), Thomas Sharpe/Reader, Thomas Sharpe/You
Comments: 4
Kudos: 35





	1. Pamela Upton

"Shh…" He ran his hand down my body and rubbed his member against my back. "You don't want anyone to hear, do you?"

I shook my head and buried my face into the pillow as he slid in. He brought me over the edge again and again, until I was too tired to keep my eyes open. I felt him lay down behind me, cupping me with his much longer frame.

"I love you, darling. Dream of me."

The next morning when I woke up, he was already gone. I sighed. Why couldn't we be like the couples in the novels? Why did we have to hide? We owed the world no explanations. They never did us any good, anyway. 

They had tried to take us away from here – split us apart, but they couldn't keep us away forever. As soon as I was done my schooling, I headed back here. What I found, however, was something that made me angry and frustrated.

"Who is she?" I demanded, pointing to the woman who was clinging to his arm. I could see mother's beautiful wedding ring on her finger, but that couldn't be right.

Lucille placed her hand on my shoulder. "Sister dear, that is our newest member of the family."

"What…?" I breathed, looking at him for confirmation, but he averted his eyes away from me. "What do you mean?"

The dark haired woman smiled at me. "I'm Pamela Up – I mean… I guess I’m Pamela Sharpe, now, aren't I?" she giggled. "I'm married to your brother. I really hope that we'll get along."

I didn't know how to reply. Thomas was married? Why hadn't anyone sent a note to me? Why hadn't he told me? I had barely received anything from them while I was away and the moment I came back, this was what greeted me.

I couldn't listen to them, anymore. I ran up the stairs and entered my room, or at least, I thought it was my room. It had been my room. "What is this?! Have you all replaced me already?!"

All of them had followed me up and were watching me scream at them. "Have you all forgotten me already?!" With shaking hands, I covered my mouth to try to stop the sobs from escaping. This wasn't the welcome I expected. 

"Oh, Amelia, your room was the only one habitable. All the other ones needed work," Lucille told me as if what she was saying was supposed to somehow comfort me.

"And…? Where am I going to stay, now? In the attic?"

"Well, it's not that bad up there. You – "

I shook my head. "Unbelievable. Absolutely unbelievable. Why did I ever want to come back here? All this chaos… This broken house… My home… My room… My… It's all gone. I don't even belong here, anymore."

Leaving my possessions in the hall, I walked back down and out into the snowy land. The cold immediately penetrated through my dress. I had left my coat somewhere inside. I couldn't even remember when I took it off.

"Amelia!" I heard him call out towards me, but I didn't want to talk to him. I didn't even want to see him. I kept going, running as fast as I could, while the snow went up nearly to my knee. "Amelia!" His voice drew further and further away.

I ran until I couldn't see the mansion, anymore, and huddled beneath a tree, shivering. It was unbelievably cold, but I couldn't go back. I was just going to have to make my way down the mountain when the snow let up. It wasn't as if I hadn't made friends while I was away. Surely, one of them would help me. 

Even if they didn't, I knew I couldn't be here. In the time I was away, my childhood had disappeared. It was as if they had erased my entire existence from their lives – replaced by this stranger who had stolen everything from me.

Why?

Why?

Why?

Hadn't I been enough? Was it because I was weak? I couldn't do anything when they beat us. Lucille and Thomas were always the protectors. They tried their best to shield me from our parents. Perhaps that was why. They were tired of taking care of me. They thought I was still the child who couldn't make her own decisions, but I wasn't.

I had learned to defend myself. I had learned to brush off all the cruel words. I had to because there hadn't been anyone doing it for me when I was sent away. 

It wasn't until night did the snow finally stop. I tried to rub the blood back into my limbs and began to stagger down the mountain, but each step threatened to send me tumbling down. My knees buckled and I had to catch myself before I fell. It was so cold, but I had to keep going. I couldn't give up. Giving up meant being that child, again, and I wasn't going to allow that to happen.

Suddenly, I was on the soft snow, staring at the top of the white fluff, wondering why it had all gone so terribly wrong. Maybe it was better this way. I was never meant to live. I had been the extra child – the accident. Our parents had only ever wanted a son. This would just mean that I was restoring the balance. All would be right, again…

My eyes fluttered close and I knew no more.

…

Thomas was still getting used to having a wife, this stranger in their home. He truly thought that Lucille would've wanted to keep it as just the two of them. Unfortunately, she suddenly had an idea and when she did, she couldn't let it go. It bloomed and blossomed and suddenly, he found himself bound to a woman he had no emotional attachments to.

She was a beautiful woman, that was certain, but her long, dark luscious locks were not the ones he craved to see. Pamela was not a woman he could love and it wasn't fair for either of them to continue on with this pretense.

No matter how Lucille tried to reassure him that it wasn't permanent, he couldn't keep the dread at bay. He should've listened to his own instinct because when he found her standing at the door, he felt his heart stop.

She was just as beautiful as he remembered, older and taller, but still small compared to him. He just knew that if he took her into his arms, she'd fit perfectly there. He wanted so desperately to just throw everything to the side and kiss those pink lips as they were meant to be kissed. 

Instead, he stood back like a coward and allowed Lucille to speak for them. When she looked over to him, he couldn't even deny any of it. He couldn't even look her in the eye and confess to what he had done.

"Do you think she'll ever like me, Thomas?" Pamela had asked him.

He didn't know and at that moment, he didn't care because she had just raced out the door, into the freezing cold.

"Amelia!" he called out, gently pulling Pamela's hand from his arm. "Amelia!"

By the time he was outside, she was already lost in the snow, but he couldn't let her stay out there. It was dangerous. She was going to get sick or worse… 

He searched desperately for her, but it was no use. The snow made it almost impossible to see past his feet. Eventually, Lucille came out, pulling him back into the house before the snow could blow him off the cliff. "She's still out there!"

"I know, brother, but you won't find her in this weather," she mildly told him.

He was brought back in, shivering and on the verge of collapsing. He could only imagine what she was going through, still out there – alone and in only a slip of a dress. Why had he listened to Lucille? He could've had her in his arms the moment she returned. Instead, he was about to lose her forever.

"Thomas! Thomas!" Pamela embraced him, but he was too numb to feel anything. Perhaps if he stayed out there for a little longer, his emotions could be deadened as well. "Don't scare me like that!" She kissed his cold cheek and led him up the stairs. 

As she brought him to Amelia's redecorated room, he had the urge to turn back around. They had, indeed, taken her memories and desecrated them. It looked nothing like how it did before. 

His hand brushed the sheets. No, these were still the same. He had defiled her here.

"T-Thomas…?" Her tiny form sat up on the large bed, staring at him as he stood at her doorway. "What are you doing here? Papa doesn't like us wandering around at night. You'll get in trouble."

He looked down, playing with his hands, before walking in and closing the door softly behind him. "I know, but…"

"Is something wrong? I-If you had a nightmare… You can stay here." She lifted up her covers. It was something he did whenever she came by, looking as if the monsters were about to jump out at any time and take her away. 

He shook his head. "L-Luci showed me something and I wanted to show you. She said this is what people do when they love each other and I love you, 'Melia."

He made his way over to the bed and slipped in. His heart was pounding against his chest as he turned to face her. She did the same, staring at him curiously. Would she like it? Would she hate it? If Lucille said this is what people in love did, then it should be fine, right?

As he laid there, trying to make up his mind, she scooted over and snuggled against him, just as she always did whenever they were in bed together, but somehow, it was different. Something changed. The innocent contact no longer felt innocent. 

A breath of air escaped him before he rolled them until he was on top of her. "Tell me if I'm hurting you, alright?

She nodded. "I know you won't hurt me."

Unlike Lucille, she didn't have the same curves. In fact, her body figure didn't differ too much from his, but he knew enough that her body would fill out when she grew older. 

He showed her everything that their older sister had taught him, that night. And from then on, they continued on in secret. Until one day, Lucille killed their mother. It had been so liberating at first, but the morning after, her body was found and they were all separated.

When he returned from their aunt's, it was many years later – an adult. He was finally an adult and he was allowed to make his own decisions, or so he thought. It wasn't long before their finances became a real burden that left them with a house of holes and critters. He had wanted to leave this place and all its horrible memories behind, all the beatings and bloodstained walls, but Lucille didn't want to go. 

He tried to continue on their father's work, but he wasn't as talented as James William Sharpe. That man had been right all along. Thomas was delicate and physically weak, so he tried to tone up his body, build enough muscles to work on the large machineries that had long since stopped functioning. When that didn't work, he started making smaller models. They were almost like toys, but he hoped that it could showcase what the machines could do and perhaps, he'd be able to reel in people who would lend them money to restore their family into their former glory.

Unfortunately, that never led him anywhere, so Lucille came up with an idea. An idea that led him to where he was, now. 

"Have you warmed up?" Lucille set down a tray of hot tea on the table and watched with dark eyes as Pamela continued to run her hand up and down his arms in an attempt to rub away the cold.

"I’m fine. Amelia, she's still out there. We have to get her indoors and – "

"Shh…" Lucille sat by his other side and pulled her into his arms, taking him from Pamela. "I found her myself, while you were recovering. She's staying in my room. Don't worry about her. Rest…"

Thomas wanted to see her for himself, but he knew that Lucille wouldn't allow it, so he tried to lay down on the familiar bed with an unfamiliar woman who laid her head on his chest. "I'm glad she's alright, Thomas. I'd love to properly meet her, tomorrow."

He closed his eyes and tried to imagine a different body against him. It was difficult. She was still but a child when they had been together. Although their feelings may have been real, it was going to be vastly different. In her dress, he could see how well she filled it. He wanted to run his hand down her body and spill his essence inside her. He wanted to hear her cry and scream his name. He wanted to hold her as they finally fell asleep together.

Instead, he waited until Pamela had been claimed by the sandman before making his way to Lucille's room. He had hoped to see her, but she wasn't there. Lucille was sitting in front of the mirror, brushing her hair in her night slip. 

"Where is she?" he asked her.

She looked at him through the mirror. "Thomas, what are you doing still up?"

"Where is she, Lucille? You said she was here!" Had she lied to him? Was she still out there in the dark?

"Did you want me to help you get to sleep? You need your rest," she continued on as if she hadn't heard him.

"WHERE IS SHE?!" he demanded, storming over and turned her to look him in the eyes. "Is she still out there? Did you leave our sister in the cold, at night, in the middle of a snow storm?! I… I need to go back out there…"

"Oh, Thomas…" She placed her hand on his cheek and pulled him into a kiss. "Tomorrow. We will find her, tomorrow. It will do none of us any good if you get lost out there. Come, if you cannot fall asleep with your wife, then perhaps I can help you." She began to unbutton his shirt. Her long fingers lingering on his chest. 

He allowed her to pull him into bed and lose him in the sensation of her warm body. It was not the same, but at that moment, it was enough. 

He woke up bright and early the next morning. Lucille was still sleeping when he slipped away and dressed warmly for the chilly weather. The snow had finally stopped, leaving behind its thick white blanket. Taking one step out, his leg sunk deep until only his knees were visible. 

"Amelia?!" he called out. "Amelia!"

He looked around him, but all he could see was white. He walked along the path he had had known by heart since he was a child. Her name never left his lips for long as he scared away the morning animals. 

After a while, he rested by the tall tree, wishing that he had bundled up a little more. The cold was already making his hands numb and his teeth were chattering uncontrollably, but he couldn't give up. He had to find her. There was no way that she could've gotten very far. Even now, he had difficulty getting anywhere. He should never have allowed Lucille to seduce him into bed. By now, she could be… She could be…

He didn't want to think about it. He had to keep searching.

Pushing himself away from the frozen bark, he stumbled forward, calling out her name, until his throat was hoarse and he was beginning to lose hope. "Amelia…" He coughed, dropping to his knees. His hand brushed against the snow where he found it more compacted. 

He took in a shaky gasp. "Oh, no… Amelia… Amelia!" He brushed away the snow around him and crawled along his only clue until his knees hit a solid form. 

He cleared the area in front of him until he unburied her motionless form. She was dead. His beautiful sister was dead. "Amelia… I'm so sorry. I should've been there for you." He pressed his cold lips against her colder ones and small puffs of air made him jump back.

She was still alive! 

He immediately scooped her up into his arms and ran as quickly as his stiff legs could go back into the mansion. "I'll get you warmed up. You'll be fine." He put her into his own room and started the fire. He quickly shed away all of her drenched clothing and bundled her up in his bed.

"Lucille! Lucille!" he shouted out the hall for his older sister.

She walked out of her room with a startled look on her face. "What on earth is the matter with you, Thomas?"

He stormed up to her face and hissed, "I found her, Lucille. You may not care about our little sister anymore, but I do. I know you killed mother and father. I know why you did, but Amelia? She hasn't done anything wrong."

"I'm sorry, Thomas. I just wanted you to take care of yourself. If you went out at night, you'd have gotten lost and what if you died? Where would I be, then?" She cupped his face to pull him into a kiss, but he turned away from her.

It had always been about her. He wasn't going to allow her selfishness to bring harm to Amelia. Had she already forgotten what their little sister meant to them? 

He went down to the kitchen to fetch the tea himself, careful not to touch Lucille's special brew. Waiting for the water to boil took forever. He ended up going back upstairs to check on Amelia.

She hadn't moved an inch and he could tell that her breathing was shallow. He didn't know how to help her. By the time they fetch the doctor, she could be gone. He needed her warm. 

He quickly went back downstairs for the tea, ignoring Lucille who was trying to talk to him and Pamela who gave him a concerned look. His sister must've filled her in on what had happened, but neither made any moves to help him. That was for the best. 

Locking the door behind him, he stripped out of his clothes and slid into bed. Body heat was supposed to be the best. He wrapped himself around her, trying to suppress the shivers of her frozen flesh against his. She was so very cold.

…

I woke up, feeling sluggish and heavy. My eyes refused to open, but the sensation of the warm body pressed against me gave me the motivation I needed to turn around.

"Amelia?" His velvety voice caressed me. His long fingers ran through my hair. 

This body felt so unfamiliar… Had it really been so long since we were last together? Seven years… Were we… strangers, now? It felt as if I didn't know anything about him anymore. He had a wife! He got married… 

My heart raced in my chest and I finally found the strength to push away from him. My eyes snapped open to see his alarmed face and his outstretched hand still lingering where I had once been nestled in his embrace.

"Are you alright?" he asked me.

I shook my head.

"Are you hurting anywhere? Do you want some tea to warm up? I can get Luc – "

"No! No… I don't want… I mean…" My heart was hurting, but there was nothing anyone can do about that and I couldn't tell him how I felt because he wasn't mine anymore. Someone else had his heart…

He dropped his hand. "Tell me what I can do for you, Amelia. You nearly died. I… I thought I lost you…"

I looked away, burying my face into the covers. Suddenly, I felt like that young child, again, unsure of anything. What if I did the wrong thing? What if I drove him even further away? I couldn't lose him… He was the only thing keeping me going, while I was in boarding school. The knowledge that one day, I was finally going to be home, but… Now that I was here, home didn't feel like home. I was a stranger in a familiar, but not identical, place.

A sob escaped me. Why did it have to go so wrong? I never asked for much in life. I didn't care if we had money or even if my parents loved me. All I wanted was him. All I wanted was to know that there was a small place somewhere that I felt safe. Where had it all gone?

"Don't cry," he breathed. "Come here. Let me help you." When I didn't move, he moved over and gathered me back into his arms, stroking my hair and whispering his comforting words into my ears.

"H-How…?" I asked him. "This can't be fixed…"

"Tell me what's wrong and I'll do everything I can do make it right," he pressed on, tilting my chin to look at him. He leaned down and kissed away the tears. "Tell me, Amelia."

I sniffed. "This, Thomas. All of this is what's wrong."

"Do you find me repulsive, now?" he whispered.

How could he even think that? My body was thrumming with desire with him being so close and so, very naked against me. Why was he playing with my feelings like this? It was cruel. "That's not why, at all. Don't you understand? You're married. You have a wife. We… I-I…" I still love you.

He moved his lips along my face and settled just a breadth's length away from my lips. "None of that matters, Amelia. I love you as much as the day we both made love for the first time. I love you as much as the day we were separated and all I could do was hold your night slip close to me to convince myself that one day, we'd be together again. None of that has changed. I'm still so terribly in love with you." He pressed his lips against mine and I finally noticed the throbbing member pushing against my thighs. "How can you ever think that I could ever stop loving you? It's simply impossible."

"I… I l-love you, too." The tears came back, but for a different reason. 

It was relief.

I had thought my world had shattered all around me, but it seemed as if I was merely displaced and Thomas found me, just as he had always done. 

"Oh, darling…" He kissed me, again, running his hand down my body. "Are you still cold?"

"Just a little," I replied, shivering, but it was mainly from his feather-light touches that sent tingles all over my body.

He nudged open my thighs. "Then allow me to warm you up." His cock jerked against me. "God… I love you so much." He pushed in, causing me to yelp. It had been seven years since we had last been together. It felt like the first time, again, stretching me so impossibly wide and he was so big, now. 

"Thomas!" I cried out when he fully sheathed himself inside me, bumping into my cervix. 

"Shh… Keep quiet, or the others will hear," he murmured, swallowing the rest of my cries, as he pulled up nearly all the way and slammed back in.

Our bodies moved together in an old dance that had matured over time.

He groaned, falling on top of me, kissing my shoulder. "Promise me that even with Pamela here, you won't hide yourself from me and you won't run away, again. I thought I had lost you. I thought you were dead." 

"As long as you promise that you'll always love me."

"Always."

The days after, we'd make in love in secret. Thomas didn't even want Lucille to know and I wasn't opposed to that. She had been rather cold to me after my return. My other sister had been my protector before, but now… She reminded me of mother. The way she'd stare at me made the tiny hairs on my body stand on end and I could always feel them on me. 

Her animosity confounded me. I wanted my sister back, but all she wanted to do was play on her piano. Whenever I tried to talk to her, she'd make an excuse to leave the room. What had I ever done to her?

Pamela, however, had been so welcoming – so kind. It was impossible to hate her and what we did behind her back made it so much more difficult. The guilt was always at the pit of my stomach whenever she smiled at me, whenever she shared her stories with me, whenever she told me of a future she wanted for her new family…

How did Thomas do it? I knew that he went to bed with her every night, but he'd always ended up back in his room where I resided in. 

"Amelia…" he whispered along my skin, his member gliding in and out of me. "Don't ever leave me."

"Never," I promised, bringing him up for a kiss. 

The next morning, there was a loud argument outside the door. It had been so early that it had even woken up Thomas who clung on to me tightly before quickly getting dressed. "Stay here. I'll see what's going on."

He ran his hand through his hair several times to make himself presentable and slid out the door, closing it quietly behind him. 

"What is going on, ladies?" I heard him ask.

I quietly slipped out of bed and picked up the dress from the floor. Pressing my ears tightly against the door, I could hear them more clearly.

"Your sister is mad!" Pamela shouted. "She tried to kill me! She tried to push me down the stairs!"

"I did no such thing," Lucille calmly stated. "I was in my room when she took a tumble. When I heard her cry, I came out to investigate and saw her on the stairs, crying out in pain. I tried to help her, brother, but she kept sprouting that I was trying to kill her."

I opened the door to a sliver to peek out. 

"She's lying! I know someone pushed me!" Pamela looked at Thomas for help, but he looked indecisively between the two. 

"Let's stop this argument and sit down, have something to eat. It's early. I don't know what exactly occurred, but I do not want any misunderstandings between us," he finally said, watching both women huff. "Allow me to retrieve my coat and I will be right there."

I quickly closed the door before anyone looked over my way. 

When Thomas re-entered the room, I could see how stressed he was. I placed my hand on his face and pulled him into a kiss. "It'll be alright. Do you want me to go with you? I know that Lucille's been rather… irritated as of late."

He groaned, pressing his lips back down upon mine. "I don't know. I just want to get back into bed with you and wish that this is all just a horrible nightmare."

I chuckled. "No such luck, but we'll get through this nightmare together, as we always have."

"As we always have."

By the time we were both in the kitchen, I could feel the thick tension in the air only continuing to thicken as Lucille didn't even spare us a glance. Pamela, on the other hand, were desperately trying to hide the fact that she was crying, but her eyes were bloodshot. 

I sat down beside her, placing my hand on hers. She turned to me with a watery smile, appreciating the support.

"Come, sit, sister," Thomas beckoned to the seat beside him, across from his wife. "Let us speak what is on our mind and hope that we will be able to resolve this. I want my sister and my wife to get along."  
With a sigh, Lucille took the pot off the heat and primly slid in, placing her hand on top of the old wooden table. "Pamela, I apologise if you thought I had anything to do with your accident, this morning, but as I mentioned before, I was still in my room when it happened."

The other woman looked so small as she looked down, shaking her head. It was clear that she didn't believe a word Lucille said, but she had no more fight in her. "That is fine. I'm tired. I wish to retire back into my room."

"You may." Lucille narrowed her eyes.

Pamela shuffled away, her sniffs still audible as she scurried up the stairs.

"What has happened to you, Lucille?" I quietly asked her. "Why are you being like this? I come back and I feel as if you're not the same person, anymore. I feel as if I've lost my sister."

"Perhaps you have," she hissed. "You don't know what I had to go through to protect you when you were a weak, little child, and when I was taken away, I had to suffer throw those doctors thinking that I was mad!" Her hand shot out to grip my wrist tightly. "All I had ever done was try to protect you and you repay me by stealing him away from me!"

"Lucille!" Thomas exclaimed. "Let her go. You're hurting her."

I could only stare at the fury in my sister's eyes. I had never seen her so angry at me before, even after all those beatings. Perhaps, she had always hated me, but her duty as older sister made her feel obliged to protect me back then. 

"Before you came back, he was mine! Even with a wife. He was MINE!" She finally let go, storming away, leaving the two of us in silence.

I knew that Thomas and Lucille had been intimate before. It was where Thomas learned everything. I also knew that as comfort, we'd fall into each other's arms to try to forget about everything. Since my own feelings for Thomas lingered, I knew hers had, too. I just didn't know that she thought I was stealing him, somehow. I had no problem with sharing him with her, it was the wife that had caught me by surprise.

"Your wrist… It's bruising. I'll go get a hot compress and – "

"No," I stopped him. "Stay." She had done so much for me. Could I not do this one little thing for her? 

I looked at him, staring back at me with concern, but Thomas wasn't one little thing. He was neither little nor a thing. He was my world. I was willing to share her with him, but I was never going to be able to let him go. "I just want my family back…" I whispered, finally feeling my own tears fall.

He got up and held me from behind. "As do I, Amelia. As do I…"

…

The days passed like a dream, or perhaps a nightmare. My relationship with Lucille had not improved, at all, but Pamela and I found an understanding. She told me how she thought no one would ever marry her because of her disposition. I didn't understand what she meant, until she hiked up the skirt of her dress and shyly showed me the scars on her legs. 

She told me of how she had gotten into a carriage accident when she was a young girl and the doctor had tried their best to fix her, but over the years, her condition was deteriorating. Her legs always pained her and walking up and down the stairs were always a problem. 

It seemed that Thomas already knew of her problems before he married her and I began to suspect that there was a reason why he had gone along with it. Pamela Upton came from a wealthy family. They were helping Thomas with getting parts for his machines. 

I wanted to believe that he wouldn't have married for money, but the evidence was so clear that I found it hard difficult to deny it. 

Seeing my expression, Pamela voiced my worries. She knew of my siblings' intentions and were well aware that she was only good for the coins that her family sent, but she was content. Her family's reputation was saved when Thomas had asked for her hand in marriage. She didn't have to live as a spinster, ridiculed by the other ladies. 

I couldn't imagine how she had felt, feeling so undesirable. My family had been the only ones that mattered to me. Their opinions were the only ones that could ever affect. Even all the teasing in boarding school was just a time in my life that I could pretend was merely a very long story that I had immersed myself in and I was now done with that chapter. I just had to get through this one as well, where my sister was replaced by a dragon. 

But the times grew harder when Pamela collapsed, one day. She had been walking with me to the library when she legs collapsed beneath her. Cries of pain echoed through the entire house. I ran through the house in search of Thomas and found him outside, tinkering with his machine, again.

"Thomas! Thomas!" My panic-stricken voice immediately alerted him that was something was terribly wrong. "It's Pamela! She's in pain. I don't know what to do. I think she might need a doctor!"

Indeed, one look at her and Thomas had gone into town to fetch Dr. Chamberlain. The doctor had inspected her for a good hour before informing them that she was best to stay off her legs from now on. They were going to be of no more use to her.

Thomas forlornly handed him several coins before storming away, leaving Pamela to rest. I quickly followed him and wrapped my arms around him after he fell heavily on to the armchair in our room. 

"I'm sorry, Thomas." It was going to be difficult for them. With an invalid in the house, I knew that it would only further irritate Lucille. 

"Perhaps if she had not been cooped up in this wretched house…" he whispered. "Perhaps if she had proper care, none of this would've happened."

I stroked his face. "It's not your fault. She's told me of how happy she was to be here – to be married to a great man like you."

"I'm not a great man, Amelia. I'm not even a good man. I'm a con artist, slowly bleeding her family dry, trying to revive this broken place." He looked down at his hands. "Are we fated to just rot here?"

"Can't we leave?" I asked him. "We can sell this property. I'm sure someone would love to purchase it and we can go somewhere – anywhere. We don't need such a big house. I wouldn't mind something smaller with less rooms to clean and…" I shuddered at the thought of all the moths and larvae that were always plaguing the house. 

"I would love to, but Lucille doesn't want to go and I can't leave her here by herself." His words rang true. No matter how poorly she treated us, we owed her our lives. 

I held his hands in mine. "Then we'll figure something out. In the mean time, maybe you can make something for Pamela? I really don't want her to be caged in her room."

"Yes, I shall do that." With his mood lightened just slightly, I gave him a kiss and got off his lap as he made his way down to his workshop.

He had spent several days there, barely eating or sleeping, but when he came back out, he had a wooden chair in front of him. It was crudely made, but it had wheels on the sides and two handles at the back.

"Sit down," he told me.

I gave him an incredulous look before complying. As he began to push, I found myself unsure of where to put my feet as they slightly dragged the dusty floor. When I told him of the issue, he muttered a curse under his breath and wheeled the chair – and me – back into his workshop. 

Scrap pieces of wood was everywhere. The entire room was covered with sawdust and I could see a small tower of plates tucked in a corner. "Oh, Thomas. You have to get out of here. Take a break. I can't bear to see you like this."

"I'll be fine. I'm almost done. I just need to add one more piece of wood near the bottom. Give me the rest of the evening and I will see you in bed, tonight," he promised me. "I know I've been neglecting you as of late, but I promise… I promise that I love you and I am trying my hardest."

"I know…" I whispered, kissing his lips.

Thomas was always trying so hard. Even when he was just a child, he had done everything he could to get involved in the clay business, but it was never enough for father. He wasn't muscular like James Sharpe had been. We had all taken on mother's lithe frame, but mother never cared for us. She didn't love father and us, being his spawns, she didn't love us, either.

We drew comfort in each other because that was the only way we knew to stay sane, but sometimes, it felt as if I had stolen him away from Lucille. I knew that she had had him first and we tried to keep things equal between us.

"Brother, Lucille is watching," I whispered, brushing his hair back. 

He groaned, turning slightly to see that their older sister was by the doorway with a tray of tea in her hands, a small smile on her face. 

"Have you two started without me?" There was a coldness in her eyes that dropped the temperature in the room. 

We knew that she liked to be in control of the situation. Usually, the two of us would only make love together when we knew that we wouldn't be caught by her or our parents, but we had gotten careless. We had gotten carried away. Our desires had overridden all rational thoughts.

She sat the tray down and crawled into bed. 

"Have you fallen asleep already, my love?"

I opened my eyes, seeing Thomas hovering above me. His coat was gone and his white shirt was partially unbuttoned. I ran my hand across his pale, toned flesh. "I love you, Thomas."

He groaned, leaning down to catch my lips. "I love you, too." His hands worked quickly to shed me of my night slip before throwing the rest of his clothes to the side. "My sweet Amelia…"

I wrapped my legs around him, grinding our bodies together.

…

"Thomas!" He kissed her pale neck and trailed down to the valley of her breasts, stroking and squeezing the mounds in his hands. Her soft moans drove him absolutely mad. 

Looking at her, he brought a stiff nipple into his mouth and sucked. He loved pleasuring her, watching her face as she responded so beautifully to him. She was a temptress. She was his sin. No one else could ever make him feel this way, not Pamela and not even Lucille.

"You must be quiet," he groaned. "You wouldn't want anyone to hear, would you?"

She clamped her lips shut, shaking her heads and looking up at him with her big, round eyes. 

He stroked himself until he was fully hard before guiding himself into her tight hole. Every inch was a struggle. By the time he reached the end of her tunnel, he nearly spilled inside her. "Amelia…"

"More," she moaned as he began to slam himself inside her. 

Her cries fuelled him to go faster. He needed this. After everything that happened in his life, he needed her to be his one saving grace – his beautiful angel to bring him off this miserable planet and into her heavenly embrace.

After they both climaxed together, he rolled them over, bringing her to lay on his chest as they breathed heavily, recovering from the burst of pleasure that had been so all consuming. 

The next morning, he had presented the moveable chair to Pamela who gave him the widest smile he had ever seen. He only wished that he could've returned it. "I'm so sorry. I wish I could do more for you."

She shook her head. "You've done everything you could. It is not your fault that this has happened. Don't blame yourself. Never blame yourself."

Her kindness made him wish that he could've been faithful to her. He wished that he could've loved her as a husband should love his wife, but he didn't. All he could do was care for her as well as he could. He'd wheel her around the house and outside for fresh air. He made sure she was warm and comfortable, but it never seemed to be enough. 

Since losing her ability to walk, she had been depressed. Her smile became forced and she spoke less and less. No matter how she tried to pretend that everything was alright, he knew otherwise. He just didn't know how to fix it, just as he didn't know how to fix this house and the machine… No matter what he did, nothing was right.

As seasons passed, she grew sicker and sicker. Her health deteriorated quickly, until even the chair could not convince her to leave her room, anymore. He'd sit there in her room, several hours of day, keeping her company.

Most of the time, Amelia would be with him. He knew that his relationship with her had grown no further than being close friends, so it came to no surprise to him that Pamela enjoyed her presence as much as his.

"It's going to be alright, Pamela," Amelia whispered, clutching the other woman's cold hands. "You'll get better and then, when the snow is gone, we'll go on a trip to town."

"I'd like that," she replied, her eyes already fluttering closed from exhaustion. 

Once they left the room, Thomas slide down the wall. "What am I going to do?" Thomas whispered, holding his head with his hands. 

Lucille had already called Dr. Chamberlain several times to check up on her condition, but even the good doctor didn't know what was wrong with her. They suspected that since she lost her ability to freely travel, she had lost her spirit to live. 

If only they could help her with that. He felt as if he had already tried everything, nothing gave Pamela her smiles back.

Amelia sighed. "Make her as happy as you can. That is all you can do."

He took her hand and kissed her knuckles, leaving them on his lips as he spoke. "Thank you, Amelia."

Pamela never made it through the winter.


	2. Margaret McDermott

I paced the bedroom, wondering how this could possibly have happened. She had been no threat and her parents had continued to help us, even after her injury.

"Stop, 'Melia..." Thomas mumbled, rubbing his eyes. Dark bags had appeared since she died. Neither of us had gotten much sleep, being plagued by the sight of her bloated face and her dangling body.

"No, Thomas! This is madness!" I hissed. "What right did she have to kill an innocent woman?"

Three nights ago, we had found Pamela hanging in the attic. There was no way she could've gotten up there on her chair and since Thomas and I were together that entire day, Lucille was the only one who could've done it.

As soon as we brought the body down, I had confronted her. She stared me down unremorsefully. "Tell me, Lucille!" I shouted, tears welling up in my eyes. Pamela had become a good friend. She hadn't asked for a lot, knowing that we didn't have much to give her. She didn't deserve that fate.

"I owe you no explanation, Amelia," she coldly told me. "You're too young to understand what we have to do to survive and preserve our family's legacy."

"No explanation? Our family's legacy? What nonsense are you sprouting? You killed my friend – Thomas' wife! I believe that deserves _more_ than just an explanation!" I argued. "What did she ever do to you?"

"She was in the way," Lucille huffed, turning back to the piano.

"No!" I slammed my hand on top of it. "She was cooped up in her room and the only times she could've gotten out was when one of us – meaning Thomas or me – were able to wheel her around the second floor. She never complained, not even when we miss a day. She never asked for anything! We did it all voluntarily."

"That was precisely it, Amelia," she growled. "She occupied all of your time, doing menial tasks and you were all happy to do it! We are not servants."

"No, we're not, but we're decent human beings. We have empathy! We help those in need," I told her, completely in disbelief that my loving and protective sister had grown so cold over the years. "And you're the one who wanted Thomas to marry her!"

"That had been a mistake," Lucille admitted, before adding, "But I shall do better, next time."

I shook my head. "No, there will be no next time. Thomas doesn't need them and I'm not going to allow you to ruin another woman's life, again." 

She didn't even bother to reply. Her silence told me that the conversation was over, so I turned away and stormed off. There had to be a better way to sustain this house. We couldn't just keep having Thomas marry and killing his wife. It wasn't right. It was _evil_!

When I told Thomas of what I had heard from Lucille, he didn't even seemed surprised. It was as if she had already told him of her plans. Perhaps she did, but why hadn't he told me about it? It was important! Had the two of them been scheming this entire time? Was Thomas actually innocent in all this?

Noticing my distressed face, he tried to comfort me, but I couldn't even look at him. I knew that a simple glimpse into his sad eyes and I was going to go along with everything that he said, so instead, I pulled away from him as well and made my way down into the mine shafts.

The walls and floor were red from the clay that was still being produced in smaller amounts.

"I'm sorry…" I whispered, touching the cap of where we had ended up dumping her body. "Please, forgive me. I didn't know… I loved you like a sister. I wish that you were still here." But she wasn't and we couldn't allow the authorities to find her like they had found mother. They would pull us apart, again, and no matter what either of them had done, I'd still love them more. "I wish that I could've told you everything, but then, you'd hate me. You'd think we were disgusting."

I stayed there for hours, talking to her, telling her everything that I couldn't tell anyone else. I told her of my fears – Lucille, the future, love, and even Thomas. I was afraid of what he was becoming and what _I_ was becoming. If I stayed in this household any longer, I knew that I was going to be dragged into this dark descending spiral of sins, darker than what Thomas and I had created before. 

_"Amelia… Can we go into town? I want to purchase a gift for Thomas and I wasn't sure what to get. Do you mind going with me?" Pamela asked with a shy smile on her face._

_I had been in the middle of my novel, but with a smile of my own, I nodded my head._

_"I was afraid to ask Lucille since I know she doesn't really like me, but I know that you probably know Thomas the best," she said._

_When we were in town, she was immediately distracted by all the different vendors. She lingered the longest in a stand full of flowers. Her hands lingered on the petals of a white and pink carnation. "I wish that we had more of these in the house. Perhaps, then, it wouldn't feel so cold there…" Her voice was soft before she quickly turned to me with an apology. "I didn't mean – "_

_"No, it's alright. I know what you meant. I feel the same. It wasn't always like that. Our parents may not have loved us, but at least we had a warm home back then, clean and with a little more life," I sighed. "How about we purchase some when we leave? It'll be a nice surprise."_

_She happily nodded and the two of us continued our way down the market. We eventually settled on a new suit and tie. They were both green, Thomas' favourite colour. As were heading back to the flower stand, a pocket watch caught my eye. It gold in colour and had two snakes – one green and the other silver – intertwined and biting each other's tails. Emeralds were set in for eyes. At a particular angle, they almost looked alive._

_"That's… unusual," Pamela mumbled. "Slightly unnerving."_

_I picked it up and asked the vendor for the price. He eyed me and the old dress I was donned in before shaking his head. "Nothing you can afford."_

_My eyes narrowed. "You don't know what I can afford." How dare he judge me?_

_With an uplift turn of nose, he stated his price. It was steep, unreasonably so. There was no way the watch was worth that amount, but I knew why he was doing it. He wanted to prove that I had no money and if I did, he'd have a good profit in his pocket._

_"I'll pay for it," Pamela quietly whispered into my ears, but I shook my head, still clutching the watch tightly in my hand._

_"You know as well as I do that this watch is not worth that price. Do not think you can swindle me of my money!" I raised my voice loud enough to attract attention. "Is it because I am a woman and you think me dimwitted? Would you try to rob the Queen as well because of her gender?"_

_If he thought he could get away with this, I was at least going to ruin his reputation and he knew from my stubborn face what I was planning to do._

_Clenching his jaw, he eventually spat out a number only a fifth of what he had initially asked for._

_With a satisfied smirk, I threw the coins on the table and took the watch with me._

_When he was out of sight, Pamela clutched tightly on to my upper arm. "I can't believe you just did that! Everyone was staring! I thought he was going to hit you!"_

_I threw my head back, laughing at the notion. "Not in front of that crowd. He wouldn't want to lose all his precious patrons. You have a lot to learn, darling." I patted her hand. "Never give those thieves your money when you know they're trying to rob you in plain sight."_

_She beamed at me. "I'm glad you're here with me, today, Amelia."_

_I smiled back as we finally arrived at the flower vendor who offered to deliver the large shipment to our home. They were going to arrive the next day, which was perfect. It would give us time to plan where we were going to put all the pots._

"Lucille was so angry when the man came knocking at our door at the crack of dawn with a full cart of flowers. She thought we were mad," I chuckled. "But somehow, the two of us convinced her to allow us to redecorate."

Unfortunately, the flowers didn't last long in the house. They had come in so beautifully vibrant, but by the end of the week, some of them were already wilted and browning. No matter what we did, they never got better. It was as if it was foreshadowing Pamela's own end. Were we just poor gardeners or had Lucille poisoned them? 

Pamela had been absolutely devastated when we had to bring each pot out to be disposed of. She found it the hardest to depart with the pink and white carnations.

"They were so beautiful before they died, just like you," I muttered. "I wish I could've done more for you. I wish I could've stopped her."

"Amelia?"

I jumped and turned to see Thomas walking out of the elevator shaft, a concerned look on his face as he came over, kneeling on front of me. 

"I've been looking all over for you," he breathed, pulling me into his arms. "I thought something happened. I thought Luci – "

"I'm fine," I reassured him, hugging him back. "I miss her, Thomas. I thought I'd hate her because she was your wife, but… I really miss her."

"I do, too, my love," he whispered into my ears. "But it will get better. We still have each other."

I held on tightly to him, allowing his familiar scent to lull me into a dreamy state. 

When I opened my eyes, I let out a loud, frightened gasp as I spotted a drenched, red figure on the floor, crawling towards us. "Thomas! Thomas!"

"What is it?!" he replied in alarm, looking behind him. "There's nothing there, Amelia."

I blinked, looking back at where I thought I had seen Pamela's thin and broken frame. "I… I thought… Never mind…" Had I been seeing things? Was I finally going mad in this place? 

"Come on, let's bring you back upstairs. It's cold here. I wouldn't want you to become sick." He helped me back up on my feet and wrapped his arm around my waist as he led me back into the elevator. 

As we were going up, I swore that I could see her, again.

…

Thomas groaned, pushing me down on to the bed. His tongue leaving a wet trail down my skin before capturing a stuff nipple in his mouth. I arched my back, trying to press closer against him. "T-Thomas!" I moaned, running my hand through his dark curls. Before moving down to start unbuttoning his shirt. My fingers lingered on his chest.

"You're so beautiful, 'Melia," he groaned, quickly disposing of his trousers. 

"Make love to me, Thomas," I sighed.

He spread my legs and guided himself into me. Our lovemaking could be slow and gentle, but this time, it was hard and fast. He pounded deep into me and didn't stop until I clamped down tightly around him, reaching my release in a matter of minutes.

Sliding out, he flipped me over before thrusting back in, reaching deeper and deeper until he spilled his seeds inside me. He laid on my back, spent and content. "We will be going to Scotland, soon. I'll be introducing the machine there and…"

"Lucille wants you to find another wife there," I finished for him.

"Yes…" he sighed. "Know that it's not what I want. If I had to choice, I'd stay in bed with you all day and night."

I hummed. "What's stopping you from doing that, now, before we leave?" 

I could feel him harden inside me, again.

The next morning, we packed for the upcoming trip. Scotland wasn't too far and Thomas was hopeful that we were only going to stay there for a few days, so I only took two sets of clothing and a coat.

The journey there was oddly enjoyable. Lucille was in a merry mood, pointing out different sceneries that passed by in the carriage, while Thomas leaned over, commenting. I was laying on his lap with Lucille's fingers running through my hair. I was so relaxed that I was beginning to doze off. Why couldn't we stay like this forever? Just the three of us…

"We're here, my love." Lucille left a kiss on my cheek before gracefully stepped off the carriage. 

"May I just stay here?" I dreamily inquired, receiving a low chuckle from Thomas.

"Afraid not, but we will be staying in a grand hotel with a big, soft bed," he purred.

That was enough to get me on my feet, looking up at the large building that loomed over us. "It's beautiful," I commented, following them into the front door where the lobby was the grandest place I had ever seen. "How much are we paying for this?"

Lucille leaned down and quietly replied, "Nothing, at all. Dear Pamela's parents are paying for this as a sort of 'thank you' for everything that we had done for their daughter."

The happiness immediately evaporated away. Her parents had no idea that Lucille had been the one to kill their daughter. It wasn't right to take advantage of their kindness after what she – no, _we_ –had done. I was just as guilty as she was for keeping this a secret and not being able to help her, but I felt as if I was already in too deep. I couldn't lose my family again.

Thomas placed his hand on the small of my back. "This way." 

We ascended up wide stairwells that were whole and had no troubles supporting our weight. It felt strange. I was so used to the ones that home. They creaked and bent whenever we moved along the rotting wood. I sometimes feared that one of us was going to fall right through it, one day.

When we arrived at our room, I saw how large and welcoming it was. It had a nice sitting space, a large bed, and a smaller one. I doubted the latter one was ever going to be used as I laid down on the blissfully soft mattress. Thomas fell beside me, chuckling at my content sighs. "This is nice, isn't it?"

I hummed, turning to him for a kiss, which he happily indulged me.

"There is work to be done, my loves," Lucille laid down behind Thomas, kissing his neck.

He groaned. " I have my speech ready and memorised. I need to relax or I'll seize up, tomorrow."

"Then, why don't you allow us to help you?" Lucille smiled at me as she spoke.

…

Thomas was glad to finally get out of Crimson Peak. Ever since the scare that Amelia had at the mine entrance, he noticed how stressed out she had been. He didn't know what had brought it on, perhaps she had taken Pamela's death even harder than he thought – harder than he personally had. It was as if every shadow held a boogieman, waiting to drag her away, but he wasn't going to allow anyone to take her from him, again. Even if it's her own mind playing tricks on her.

When they arrived at the hotel, he couldn't keep the smile off his face as he watched her stare at everything in wonder. It was as if she was a child, again, and he hated how just a single sentence from Lucille erased it all away. 

Losing Pamela had been one of the hardest things he had to deal with, aside from losing his family during their separation. She had been a kind woman who willingly went along with everything, knowing full well that she wasn't getting the love that she deserved. That was the worst. She had just been so compliant and nice and _grateful_. She shouldn't have been. She should've been angry at the neglect. She should've been spiteful at the deceit. Perhaps that had been her plan all along, to kill them with her kindness.

By the time he had some shut eye, that night, he was exhausted. Lucille had been particularly demanding and even Amelia had ended up just curled, contently, against his side, while their older sister took her pleasure from him. 

Morning came too soon and he had to peel himself out of bed, feeling as if he had no rest at all.

As he was retrieving his clothes, a soft voice greeted him from behind. "Good morning." He leaned into her touch as she wrapped her arms around him and placed soft kisses down his back.

"Good morning, darling," he whispered back, turning so that he could see her. She was still completely bare with her hair a mess. A sleepy smile was on her face as she looked at him. 

He leaned down for a kiss as she pressed her body against his. The blood immediately flowed downward and gathered between his legs. She giggled when she felt it poke her stomach. "Would you like some help?" She got on her knees and gave the head a fleeting lick. 

"Don't tease me, love. You will make me forget everything that I have to say," he groaned.

She slid his member into her mouth, staring at him as he tried to keep quiet. He knew that as soon as Lucille wakes, the mood would change. She would be the one in control and he'd just be in for the ride. 

With what didn't fit inside her, she took into her small hands. It didn't take him long to find release in her sweet mouth, spilling his essence deep into her throat. 

"Would you like us to go with you to the meeting?" she asked him.

He leaned back down to kiss her, tasting himself. "I won't be able to concentrate on anything if you were there. Stay or perhaps take a look at the shops. As soon as I am done, I will return to you."

She smiled. "You'll do wonderfully, Thomas."

He was happy that she thought so highly of him, but his nerves were swimming at the pit of his stomach – a bubbling sensation that made him want to bolt away, but he couldn't. Their livelihood depended on this. He couldn't fail them.

Unfortunately, the moment he entered the meeting room, he knew that they had only agreed to listen to him to give themselves something to do. Their eyes leered at him in a way that made him feel as if he was worth less than the invisible speck of dust on their highly polished shoes. He willed himself to take no heed of their demeaning sneers and went on with his well-practised speech.

The small model he had made worked exactly as it should. He only wished that the original could do the same, but as it were, he had been relieved to find the men leaning forward in their seats to have a closer look. By the end of the presentation, he truly thought that he actually had a fighting shot.

"May we have a look?" Brunton, a wealthy merchant, was already in the process of picking up the working model as he inquired.

Thomas cleared his throat. "Yes, o-of course."

They all huddled around the contraption as if it was the most fascinating thing they had ever seen. 

"This would make a wonderful toy for my son!" one spoke up.

There was a murmur of agreements, but Thomas wasn't liking where this was heading. "Gentlemen, perhaps there are some misconceptions, but I – "

"Look, Mr. Sharpe." Brunton turned to him. "We appreciate your efforts, but we are simply not interested in a… clay extractor. Times are changing. We are moving on to more durable resources that yield better profits."

"Perhaps if you move on to toy making… Are you able to manufacture several hundreds of these? If you are able to market them successfully, then we can – "

"I see…" His disappointment quickly turned into irritation and anger. He quickly retrieved his model. "Thank you for your time, gentlemen." He had no more patience to spare.

They were never going to understand that if he could make hundreds of these, then he wouldn't have needed their monetary assistance.

In a foul mood, he made his way back to the hotel.

When he returned, he was greeted by Lucille and an unfamiliar woman who looked as if she was old enough to be their mother. He could feel his rising anger begin to boil. "I am not in the mood for this," he mumbled to Lucille as he stood behind her. 

She merely smiled at him and turned to the stranger. "Thomas, this is Margaret McDermott. She's a new friend of mine and was excited to meet you as soon as I mentioned that you were looking for a new wife. She has also recently lost her husband. I thought perhaps the two of you can… confide in each other?"

He narrowed his eyes at her, but with a deep breath, he reeled back the annoyance and turned to Margaret with the most polite smile he could muster. This woman deserved none of his anger. It was Lucille who had to halt her incessant scheming. "Thomas Sharpe, it's a pleasure to meet you, Margaret." He took her hand and kissed the back of it as any gentleman would.

The older woman flushed red. "Oh, my! I haven't been treated like this for so long. You make me feel young, again!"

He forcefully kept the smile in place. Was this woman serious? Did she truly think that he would be interested in her? Did _Lucille_ truly think that he would be content with someone like Margaret?

"I apologise, but I am quite tired from today's ordeal. If I may be excused, I shall retire to my room," he told them, shooting Lucille a look.

Margaret giggled. "Oh, I understand. You must've been working hard. Your sister has told me what a wonderful inventor you are. I hope everything has gone well."

"Thank you. Have a good night, ladies." With that, he hurried up the stairs and stormed into the room, flinging his coat on to a chair. He stopped as he heard soft sobbing and slowly walked over to the small lump beneath the covers.

He sat down and pulled away the duvet to find Amelia curled up, clutching a pillow close to her chest. "What's wrong, darling?" he asked, brushing her hair back and gave her temple a kiss.

"It's nothing." Her voice was muffled by the pillow, so he slid it out of her grasp and turned her around to face him. She instinctively wrapped her limbs around him, instead, causing him to let out a soft chuckle.

"'Melia…"

She rubbed her face against his shirt. "I don' t want to share you with her! It's hard enough that I have to let Lucille… I mean…" A puff of air hit his chest as she sighed. "I know I'm being unreasonable. I'm sorry, Thomas. You're the one who's probably had a stressful day. How did it go?

"There's nothing to apologise for, but I need you to know that I don't want to do any of this, either," he told her. His own anger was already slowly alleviating as he held her close. He wasn't sure what to tell her regarding the meeting. It had gone horribly and he'd hate to show that he had failed her.

"Thomas?" She placed her hand on his cheek as he looked down at her, seeing that her tears were slowly drying on her face. "You know I love you, right? No matter what?"

He quickly wiped away the trails. "I know. I love you, too." He buried his face into her hair, allowing her scent to lull him into a more relaxed state. "The meeting didn't go as well as I'd hoped. They were more interested of the model as a toy than what I was actually offering them and they expected me to make hundreds of them as some sort of test for even an ounce of their consideration."

"It's alright. We'll figure something else," she told him.

They laid there on the bed, changing the topic to something lighter and more pleasurable. 

His day improved significantly as he spent the rest of the day in the hotel room. He was ready to leave Edinburgh behind, but he also knew that Lucille wasn't going to allow them to leave without accomplishing anything. 

What were the chances of him getting away without having another woman on his arm?

When the sky was dark, Lucille finally returned. Her face was passive as she didn't even spare them a glance. 

Her good mood was over.

Once she shed her cloak, her gloves, her boots, and took her hair down from its up-do, she finally turned to the couple on the bed. "Thomas, I've already spoken with Margaret. You shall be courting her for a season and then, the marriage will be arranged."

He abruptly sat up, glaring back at her. "And you never thought I'd like to have a say in any of this? She's old enough to be our mother!"

"All the reason to marry her now before she dies of old age. She still has all the money from her previous marriage. Once she's gone, it all goes to you." She sat down, leaning into him. "I am doing this for us, Thomas. For you. For Amelia. For all of us."

"No, you are doing this for yourself!" he hissed back. "We can sell Allerdale Hall and move elsewhere – _anywhere_. We can leave those broken memories behind. We can start over, Lucille."

"We do _not_ need to start over!" she shouted back. "There is nothing wrong with our home. Have I not sacrificed enough for you? Can you not do this one simple thing?"

"It's not one simple thing!" Amelia protested. "There was Pamela and now, Margaret? When will this madness end?!"

Lucille turned to her with a dark glare. "Mad? Is that what you think I am? _IS IT?!_ "

"Lucille, that is not what she meant." Thomas tried to defuse the rising tension. "It's this idea that you have – marrying for money and… and what happens after."

With a huff, Lucille turned away from them and that night, the small bed was used. 

…

I hadn't meant to anger Lucille as I did, but I also didn't want Thomas to have to go through with the marriage. I knew that there was a part of her that did think of us when she concocted this plan, but the end result would be to keep sinking money into Allerdale Hall, something that only she wanted.

"We'll make it through this," Thomas whispered to me. "We'll carry on as we did before."

I nodded, but the next few weeks became the most painful days of my life. It was one thing to come back to him being married. It was another thing to witness everything and being absolutely powerless to stop any of it. The hardest part was spending time with Thomas and Margaret and pretend to be happy for them.

When it was time for their marriage, I couldn't bring myself to attend. It had been small, a mere formality, but Lucille was the only witness. I pretended to be ill and no one questioned me on it. They already knew.

I never thought that I'd be so excited to going back home, but I was done with this trip to Edinburgh. As much as I wanted to be a moral support for him, I just wanted to be away from everyone.

"Amelia! Amelia!" He quickly followed me to our room where I threw my suitcase down to the side. "Stop, please." He twirled me around and pecked my lips. "I love you. You know that. Don't let whatever this is change anything between us."

"I know, Thomas. I know!" I told him. "It's just… difficult." And I knew that it was difficult for him – even more so, for he had to be tied down to her. "I love you more than anything in the world. Seeing you with her is just… It hurts!"

"Shh…" He rocked me in his arms. "We'll be fine, remember? We can get through this."

When the moment was over, we had to go back to being proper brother and sister. We couldn't kiss whenever we liked in the halls, in the bathroom, in the kitchen, in the foyer. We couldn't make love as freely as we could, either. We were going to be limited to the nights after she had fallen asleep, completely oblivious to the world around her.

Awake, Margaret was a force to be reckoned with. There were no more giggles and shy smiles. She was a well seasoned housewife who cleaned and cooked and chastised us for allowing the estate to suffer as it did. There were several rooms that Lucille absolutely refused to allow her to touch, her room, Thomas' room, a chamber that was full of blacks moths, and the attic. She was also forbidden from going down to the mines. The older woman had no problem with the conditions and went about reforming Allerdale Hall.

By the time she was done, it was as if we were living in a different home. Everything was clean and organised. It was a wonderful change. I found myself liking what she had done. 

"Turn the fire down, now!" she barked at me as we tried to cook a full chicken. 

I quickly did as she told before taking the chicken off the heat completely. 

"Leave it there for a few minutes and then, we shall cut into it," she told me. 

Thomas chuckled as I let out a sigh of relief. I had never been much of a cook and making sure that the chicken was edible was stressful.

I sat down on the table across from him, while Margaret placed the chicken down and began to carve it with a large knife that she had recently sharpened. Lucille was quietly sitting beside me the entire time. Her hand clutched on tightly to her dress, but her face remained stoic. I could tell that she wasn't happy with Margaret taking charge.

She probably thought that the older woman would easily bend to her will, but that hadn't been the case at all. Margaret was nothing like Pamela. In a way, it was almost as if we had two Lucilles in the house. Both were just as commanding, but Margaret was loud, dominating conversations, whilst Lucille had been silent with her hatred and defiance. It was strange seeing Lucille allowing this woman to do anything that he pleased.

"This is delicious, Margaret," I complimented her as the succulent meat was perfectly cooked. I was rather proud that it turned out the way it did with her instructions. I was sure that I was going to burn it or find it raw in the middle – perhaps both. 

Margaret smiled warmly back at me. "You are a good student."

"You did wonderfully, sister." Thomas smiled at me.

I flushed. "Thank you."

It seemed like everything was finally looking up. Besides having a warm and clean home to live in, Margaret also slept early. She'd tire herself out and head off to bed. She wasn't particularly demanding in terms of intimacy. It was as if she was satisfied with simply having a home with people. Had she been lonely by herself? She didn't have any children in her previous marriage.

"I think this is going surprisingly well." Thomas was standing in front of the locked door, unbuttoning his shirt. 

I smiled, already naked beneath the covers. "It is. Come here, love."

He laid on top of me and kissed my lips. "Have I told you how beautiful you are, today?"

"Not today, no." I ran my hand through his hair.

"Well, I think you are very beautiful, today." He slid down and cupped my beasts. "I think these ladies need to be complimented as well." Facing them, he whispered against the sensitive flesh. "I think you're very beautiful."

I suppressed a moan, lifting my hip to try to gain some relief, but he moved away. "Thomas…"

"Not yet." He sidled down further and with a wicked grin, he gave my sensitive bud a teasing lick. 

I clamped my mouth shut with my hand to suppress the scream that nearly burst out, telling everyone of what we were doing. It was sweet torture that he was putting me through. 

Folding the pillow to cover my face, I let out a muffled scream when I came. 

He pushed it back down and captured my lips as he slid himself into me, swallowing my cries.

"I love you," he breathed, shifting us so that he was behind me, cupping me from behind. He thrust quickly inside me as he slid his fingers into my mouth. I happily sucked them, until we both came and I was left convulsing against him. His fingers slid out, dropping to drape his arm around my waist. 

My eyes fluttered closed before I could reply and sleep claimed me.

_My heart was pounding as I looked around me. The shadows in the room seemed to move and grow. I clutched the covers close against my chest before throwing them over my head._

_Soft footsteps crept to the bed. I could feel it standing right in front of me. I held my breath, hoping with all my might that if I don't see it, it won't see me. I repeated the mantra in my head over and over again._

_Everything was quiet for so long and then, I saw the long, red fingers slide beneath the cover and curled around the thick fabric._

_I let out a piercing scream and crawled out through the other side, running as quickly as I could down the hall and threw Thomas' door open. "Thomas! Thomas!"_

_He bolted up in bed and looked at me with wide, alarmed eyes. "What is it, 'Melia?" His voice was slurred from being awoken so abruptly._

_I locked the door and threw myself beneath his covers and held on to him as tightly as I could._

_"Did you have a bad dream, again?" he softly asked, returning my embrace._

_"It was real!" I protested. "I know it is! I saw it's hand… It w-wasn't human!" I didn't know what I saw, but it was like nothing I had ever seen before. All my other night terrors were instigated from dreams, but this I knew was real. "Don't let it take me away, Thomas! Don't let it take me away!"_

_I buried my face into his chest, but quickly pulled away when I noticed that it was wet. My eyes snapped open to see red. There was red everywhere. I looked up to see that Thomas was gone, replaced by a red, skeletal face. His jaw opened and snapped at me as I tried desperately to struggle away._

_"Let me go! Let me go!"_

_I shook my head over and over again as its grip grew tighter and tighter, until my bones creaked and then, a loud –_

"Amelia! Wake up!"

I jolted up with a gasp, panting as if I had just regained the ability to breathe. I quickly looked at him and made sure that he was there.

He grasp the hand that was touching his face, kissing the palm. "What's the matter? A nightmare?"

"S-something like that…" I mumbled. That hand… It was so familiar… It was the colour of Crimson Peak. It was the colour of clay. It was the colour of…

_Pamela_. 

But that couldn't have been her. I had that dream when I was a child before I ever knew of her existence. I knew, however, that that was the same colour Pamela had been bathed in. Why? 

"Thomas? Thomas, where are you?" I jumped when I heard Margaret's voice passing by the door.

I looked out the window to see the sun shining brightly. Thomas never stayed so late in here when he had a wife. It was too risky. 

"Shh…" he whispered into my ears. "The door is locked. I will simply tell her that I was down in the mines, later."

I nodded, relaxing back in his arms. "Do you ever think that there are even more secrets hidden in this house than ours?"

"Many. Father and mother were hardly the upstanding citizens," he told me.

That, I already knew. Father had been smooth with his words, but when that didn't work, he'd blackmail and threaten. He always got his way. Mother didn't bother with sweet talk, she'd head straight to the point and claw out whatever she wanted. Could any of them have been capable of murder?

Shaking away my thoughts, I gave him a peck on the lips. "We should get dressed and save Margaret from losing her voice, looking for you."

He sighed. "Yes, that would be best."

I ended up leaving the room first, making sure that no one was lurking around before poking my head back in and signalling to Thomas that everything was fine. He headed straight to the elevator, while I made my way outside for a short walk to clear my head.

At first, it hadn't been so bad with Margaret around. I actually enjoyed her lessons, but I also noticed that as time passed, she had become a little more possessive of Thomas. It was as if she had allowed us time to adapt to the changes of her presence and now, she was truly making her title as his wife known. 

According to Thomas, she never requested any intimacy, but she often prioritised his time with domestic issues and gossips that she'd hear from the market. Whenever I tried to steal some time from him, I could feel her glare on me. 

Thomas would excuse himself, but it wouldn't be long before she'd find us and hook her arm around his, leading him to her next project. I appreciated the improvements she had made around the house, but I didn't care for any of that if she was going to take him away from me.

"Are you ready, yet, sister?" Lucille was standing behind me, while I fussed with the wrinkles on my dress. She quickly smoothed everything down with several graceful swipes. "You look beautiful." With a kiss on my cheek, she took my hand.

"Wait! I need to get my gift for him!" I exclaimed, quickly going over to the dresser and retrieved the carefully wrapped package. I gripped it tightly in my hand as Lucille took my other hand and the two of us finally started going down to the kitchen where Thomas was sitting with a blindfold around his eyes.

"There is no need for all this fuss," he said to the bustling Margaret. "It is merely just another day."

"It is a day celebrating your birth, brother," I remarked, smiling when he turned his head towards me. Perhaps I should reuse that blindfold for other purposes, later on.

"The two of you are late!" Margaret snapped. "Everything is set and we have been waiting for you."

Lucille narrowed her eyes at her sister-in-law. "We were never informed that there was a set time."

Margaret let out an irritated sigh before going back to the cake she had baked. She placed it in front of Thomas before undoing the blindfold and kissing his cheek. "Surprise!"

Thomas laughed and smiled widely at her. "Thank you. That is very sweet of you."

I stepped forward with the gift in my hand. "Here, this is for you."

He took the green package, his fingers lingering on my hand. "And thank you, as well, darling. There was no need." He looked down at the present. "May I?"

I nodded, shyly, hoping that he was going to like it.

"It's beautiful," he breathed once the pocket watch was revealed. His fingers brushing over all the intricate details. "I love this. Thank you very much, sister." He stood up to kiss my cheek. His warm breath brushing my skin. 

"I have nothing to give you other than my love, brother." Lucille stepped forward and kissed his lips.

A huff came from Margaret before she turned Thomas to face her, again. "Sit. Best to eat the cake, while it is still fresh."

He held on to the watch for another moment before slipping it into his pocket. "Of course, thank you."

Even though it was supposed to be a joyous moment, I felt extremely uncomfortable sitting at that table. Margaret was busy pretending that Lucille wasn't glaring at her. Thomas had a forced smile on his face and I avoided eye contact with everyone. 

When we finished with the cake, Margaret had me washing the dishes. That was fine, but it'd be wonderful if she wasn't speaking so loudly behind me. 

"Did you like that, Thomas? I promise that I'll make an even bigger and better cake for you, next year."

I squeezed the cloth in my hand, gritting my teeth. The cake wasn't even _that_ good. It was decent, but I have had better from Lucille. There was no need for Margaret to be fishing for compliments as she was.

As quickly as I could, I finished up my task and stomped up the stairs, trying my best to block out the sickeningly sweet voice coming from the old woman.

…

Thomas rotated the watch In his pocket as he sat at the table, listening to Margaret ramble on. His eyes were fixed on the backside of his sister. He couldn't wait until he could show his true appreciation. The watch was beautiful and he knew that it must've cost a lot. When she had given it to him, there was a deep sadness as she handed it to him, as if the ticking object held more than just monetary value. He was going to have to ask her later.

"Did you like that, Thomas?" He wrenched his gaze away from Amelia and looked at Margaret who was looking proudly at him. "I promise that I'll make an even bigger and better cake for you, next year."

As much as he enjoyed the pastry, it wasn't as if Lucille hadn't made one for him every year. It was a different sort of cake and they were both delicious in their own way.

When Amelia suddenly stormed off, he instinctively stood up, staring after her. 

"Thomas?"

"Sorry, I'll be back." He ignored her questioning look, taking off to follow his sister up the stairs and into their bedroom. "Amelia?"

He saw her angrily take off her beautiful dress, leaving her in only her night shift and slide under the covers, covering her head. A sigh left his lips. "Oh, darling…" He sat on the bed and hugged the lump that was curled into a ball. Soft, muffled sobs could be heard through the thick material.

There was no reason for her to cry. He thought he could make it no clearer that there would be no one else more dear to him than her.

"I'm sorry, brother," he heard her cry. "I know there's no reason for me to be blubbering like an overgrown child."

"No, do not apologise," he told her, kissing the cover where he knew her head was just beneath it. "As long as you know that I love you more than anything and I will never betray you."

"I know…" She popped her head back out and he immediately captured her lips, swallowing the surprised yelp.

That evening, he made sure that there would be no more doubt in her heart. With her, now, tucked under his chin and his arms wrapped around her naked body, he fell asleep with a smile on his face.

He had a pleasant dream, a continuation of their pleasurable activities that left him hard and ready in the morning. 

"Mm… Thomas…" she mumbled in her sleep when he rubbed himself against her.

"Thomas!"

She jumped when the loud call pierced through her slumber. The motion pushed her back against him, making him groan when the force caused his hard member to ache in both pain and pleasure.

"Thomas!"

He trailed kisses up her neck, wishing that he didn't have to get out of bed to tend to whatever issues Margaret was having.

"I don't want to face the world, yet," she sighed, echoing his thoughts, but they both slid out of bed, eventually. 

Her dress for the day was simple, but that only meant that he'd have no hassle taking it off her in the evening when they would finally have their privacy, again.

"Thomas!" she shooed him away from the door when he had remained standing behind her, staring at her.

He chuckled, stepping to the corner that allowed him to keep from any wandering eyes in the hall when she opened the door.

Unfortunately, he knew something was immediately wrong when a pair of hands pushed his sister out of the way and an angry woman stomped in. "I knew it!" she shrieked, pointing a finger at him. "I knew there was something wrong! Sister and brother! Disgusting!"

From the desk, the enraged woman retrieved a letter opener and wildly brandished it in front of her as if it was a sword to fend off evil.

Afraid for Amelia's life, he quickly pulled her attention to him. "Margaret, put that down. We can talk this through."

"Talk it through? There is nothing to talk through!" she screamed. "I can't believe I married into this disgusting place of sin! I've tried my best to clean out all the trash, but _this_!"

Amelia growled, a sound that he was unaccustomed to. "Don't act as if you're completely innocent in all this! You knew perfectly well that this marriage was one of convenience! We needed the money and you needed someone to make you feel young, again! You had been satisfied with a loveless marriage, what changed?"

"When I realised that his heart belonged to another already!" Margaret had swung her body back to the other woman. "But he never goes out. I thought it was his dead wife, but no. His _sister_! Was that why your other wife died? She figured the two of you out? Or perhaps she killed herself after realising what a revolting man her husband was!"

With a cry, Amelia lunged at Margaret. "Pamela was my friend!" she shouted. "We did everything in our power to make her feel loved! Don't you dare thrust your own insecurities towards the kind and selfless woman that you could _never_ be!"

"Watch out!" He rushed forward when he saw Margaret switch her grip on the letter opener and made to stab his sister.

Amelia quickly grabbed on to the woman's wrist, trying to wrestle to weapon away. It flew to the side, hitting a leg of the armchair. As soon as it was gone, Margaret used her larger body to buckle Amelia off and lunged for the letter opener, but he quickly snatched it away.

"Don't do this, Margaret," he told her. "I know that I haven't been the ideal husband, but it doesn't have to end like this."

"End like what? With you _slitting_ the throat of your _wife_?" she spat.

He never expected her to grab the glass vase she had placed shortly after her arrival and throw it at him. The moment it collided, his head exploded with pain.

"No!" he heard his sister scream in horror as he dropped heavily on to the floor. 

Vaguely, he could tell that they were fighting somewhere near him. His consciousness wavered, but he tried desperately to cling on, hoping that he could somehow hold on long enough to prevent any more bloodshed.

…

The moment I saw him fall, the blood running down his head, I screamed and flung myself at Margaret. Strength that I never knew I possessed allowed me to throw her off balance and I threw my fist over and over into her face. 

I didn't know when or how it happened, but suddenly, my fist weren't empty anymore. The letter opener was in my hand and in that same repeated motion, I hit her until she was silent and motionless beneath me.

"Shh… Shh… It's alright now, sister." Two gentle hands pried the dripping letter opener from my hand and led me to the armchair, while she walked back to check on Thomas. 

I looked down at my hands and quickly tried to wipe away the blood that clung on to my skin and buried deep beneath my nails. What had I just done? _What had I just done?!_

"He's still alive. I shall get a cloth, bandages, and a warm bucket of water. Stay here. Do not move," Lucille told me.

Even if I wanted to, I was certain that I wasn't going to be able to go anywhere. I chanced a glance at Thomas and felt the nausea begin to overwhelm me. "Thomas… Wake up…" It wasn't long before I was reaching out to him and my body fell forward. I crawled over, shaking his still body. "Thomas, please… Wake up!" 

Leaning down, I placed a sloppy kiss on his lips. "I love you, Thomas. Please, don't leave me."

"Amelia, what did I tell you?" Lucille scolded when she re-entered the room. "I told you not to move. Why don't you ever listen to me? If you shake him anymore, you'll injure him further."

I quickly retracted my hand and scooted back several paces, allowing her to quietly and efficiently tend to him. I watched on, curled up with my knees to my chest. Helplessness filled me. 

When she was done, she turned to me. "Help me get him to bed. Nothing seems to be broken, but he has a head injury that will need tending to."

I obediently followed her lead and the two of us managed to half lift his body to the mattress where he laid almost peacefully. Biting my lips, I looked uncertainly at my older sister. "I'm sorry, Luci…"

She placed her hand on my cheek and brought me to a soft kiss. "Unless you were the one who hurt him, you have nothing to apologise for. You have already avenged him and I couldn't be more proud of you." She cast her eyes at the broken body that was still on the carpet, but I couldn't look at what I had done. It had been savage. I had acted no better than a feral animal.

The two of us laid down on either side of our dear brother and checked on his condition every half hour, hoping that he would awaken soon. Lucille held my bloodstained hands and for the first time since coming back, I felt as if I had my sister back.


	3. Enola Sciotti

Many hours passed before Thomas showed any signs of life. I had really thought that I lost him that morning. While I was slumbering beside him, Lucille must’ve taken Margaret’s body elsewhere – probably hidden away in the vats of clay where Pamela also resided. I didn’t want that deranged woman anywhere near my friend, but that was most likely the safest place to hide the bodies. No one else ever went down there.

“Mm…”

I quickly looked at Thomas who had his brows furrowed.

“Mm… ‘Melia…” The sound of my name never gave me such joy.

“Thomas!” I sat up, looking down at him as his eyes slowly cracked open and he immediately closed them again with a groan. “Thomas, are you alright? Are you hurting?” Of course, he was still in pain. Why was I even wasting our time asking such useless questions? “Can I help you with anything?”

A few deep breaths later, he tried opening his eyes again. This time, he managed to keep them open long enough to look around before he jolted up, causing me to gasp in alarm. 

“Are you alright?!” He turned his head like a wild man. “Did she hurt you?! Why are you bleeding? My God, where is Lucille? How could she allow you to stay in this state? I – “

I shook my head. “I’m fine, Thomas. I-It’s not my blood. How could you be worried about me when it’s you who was gravely injured? She hit you with a vase and I thought that you were never going to wake up, again!” I flung my arms around him and sobbed into his chest as he gently held me, kissing the top of my head.

Even now, he was the one trying to comfort me. “I’m here, sister. I will never leave you.” He kissed my forehead and raised his head as the door opened. “Lucille…”

There was a muffled cry and then, another pair of arms wrapped around us from the side. She leaned down to kiss him and held his face. “I was so worried.” Other than the momentary lapse of composure, she had leaned back and suddenly, she was Lucille the iron maiden, again.

“I… I shall get supper ready.” There was a small smile on her face as she left. 

I was glad that everything was normal, once more. With just the three of us, there we were content – definitely not perfect, but no matter what, we still took care of each other. Until now, I never thought I could lose him like that. 

Seeing him with a wife was one thing. I could live with only being able to be intimate with him during certain periods of the day, but I could never live in a world without him. 

Fortunately, it didn’t take him long to heal. He had spent that day relaxing and lounging in bed before thrusting himself back inside his workshop where he continued to make small models of the machines. They definitely worked much better than the real thing and I could tell that he was truly contemplating selling them as toys. All he needed was an investor. As it were, there was no way we could afford making many of them. He had to cannibalise his older models to make newer ones to save money. 

While Lucille had no qualms with using Margaret’s money, neither of us wanted to touch it. No matter how much she had left behind, the money felt… dirty. We did, however, try to turn a blind eye when it was used for food. It was a necessity, but it didn’t make me feel any better.

Whenever I looked down at my hands, I could still see the red that coated it. I could still see the letter opener clasped tightly and moving towards her struggling body; the way that plump flesh gave to the metal; the sensation of the warm spray that hit me. And then… Her eyes were simply staring into nothing. _I had done that to her_.

I never thought I was capable of something so heinous, but it probably ran in the family. Lucille had killed our parents and I knew mother and father were less than innocent. They had taken their fair share of lives, whether by their own hands or through ruining them. I was no different. Thomas was the only one left who still had his purity and I never wanted it to be taken away from him.

“Darling?”

I looked into his crystal blue eyes as they caught the morning light and glittered at me. “Thomas… How are you feeling?” 

I’m fine,” he replied with a soft smile.

Even though it had been a good, long week since his injury, I knew that it still bothered him. His poor attempts to hide the pain and discomfort had only made me worry more. I needed him to tell me if he was unwell, so that I could help him. I didn’t want him to think that for some reason, he was burdening me with anything. 

I gently touched the bandages that wrapped around his head and watched as he winced before taking my wrist and pulling me against him. His lips fell deftly on my own. His hand fell to my waist, shifting me so that I was settled with his bulge beneath my own arousal. “T-Thomas…” He trailed his kisses down my neck and suckled on the spot that made me moan. “We shouldn’t. You have to get better and…”

“Hush, my darling.” His hot breath against my skin was sweet torture. “I know my limits. There is no need to worry about me.”

I started to protest, again, but a wandering hand pinched my nipple, stopping anything that I was going to say.

He slowly peeled away the red-stained dress and threw it carelessly over the side. 

“I should bathe first. I’m still filthy. I – “

“Shh…” His lips replaced his hand as he began to nurse on the stiff bud. “You’re delicious.”

Closing my eyes, I finally allowed him to do as he pleased. 

He was slow and gentle, fulfilling his promise of not hurting himself. 

I sighed, cuddling against him, knowing that we were going to have to go downstairs, soon, before Lucille came up. Tilting my head, I rubbed my cheek against his chin.

He chuckled, running his hand through my hair before a loud grumble made him freeze. “Perhaps I’m a little hungrier than I thought.”

Shooting him an amused look, I changed into a clean dress before helping him out of bed and the two of us hobbled down to the dining room where Lucille was humming an uncharacteristically merry tune as she began to set the table. “Perfect timing, my loves,” she sighed. “We shall feast, today.”

It was no secret that all three of us were glad that Margaret was gone. What she almost took from us was irreplaceable. As much as it weighed heavily on my conscience, I would happily live with her blood on my hands than knowing that I could’ve done something to save him and I didn’t.

“Amelia, for you.” Lucille kissed my cheek as she placed a sizeable piece of chicken on my plate. 

I smiled back at her, suddenly feeling more proud than I should. As much as it had been a necessity, I had still taken a life. If she hadn’t been conned into marrying Thomas, perhaps none of this would’ve happened. Thomas wouldn’t have been injured and she’d still be alive. 

Quickly shaking the thoughts away, I forced the smile to remain on my face as we ate. The conversation was light and quiet, just as it had always been before she had come into our lives. 

“Let us enjoy this day,” Lucille murmured into Thomas’ ears when we finished eating. Her piercing eyes landed on me. “The three of us.”

We followed her promise, bathing in the sin and seeking solace in each other’s arms once it was all said and done. I was lying on my side, staring into the darkness as my siblings slumbered behind me. Even with the lack of light, I could see the stain on the carpet. It would take much scrubbing to get it off, if that was even possible. I was going to have to work on it, tomorrow. I didn’t want to have to stare at it every night.

A sudden creak, made me jolt. 

Slowly, I sat up and looked at the closed door. It was coming from just outside. My heart raced. Was it the wind? Was it the old house? I thought that I was used to all the strange noises by now, but this one seemed different. 

Settling back on to the pillow, I shut my eyes, willing my pulse to calm. I was safe, now. I wasn’t alone. Thomas and Lucille were in here with me. They’d know if anything was wrong. They’d protect me if there were monsters out there. I was safe.

My mind eventually relaxed enough for me to begin dozing off. I was pulled into the state of sleep and awareness, a strange place to be. My thoughts became altered as if I was dreaming, but I knew that I was still awake. I was able to pull myself back into full consciousness if I wanted to. I decided, however, to continue clinging on to the floating sensation.

_Bang!_

My eyes snapped open and this time, I couldn’t ignore the sound. I turned to see if Thomas or Lucille had woken up, but they were still asleep. 

I stared at the door, my heart pounding in my head. “Thomas?” I whispered. I didn’t want to wake him up, but I was also afraid of what was out there. The rational side of me feared that there were thieves in the house, but who would trek up the mountain to rob a rundown building? The irrational side of me could still picture the red, decaying face.

“Lucille?” She would most likely just tell me to go back to sleep and she’d be right. I should just ignore it all and sleep it through.

Spending several more minutes trying to convince myself, I eventually conceded that it was futile. I wouldn’t be able to go back to sleep without finding out what had caused the noises. 

Quietly sliding out of bed, I cast one last look at Thomas’ peaceful countenance before twisting the door knob. The door opened with a soft creak, nothing like what I had initially heard. Should I call out to whatever may be out there? I could still close the door if it was a threat.

I swallowed. “H-Hello…?” My voice was barely audible even to my own ears, but I heard the sound of a familiar set of wooden wheels and turned my head to the right. 

There she was – the long hair and thin form that flew by quickly in the mobile chair that Thomas had made her. “Pamela?”

I slowly made my way down the hall and followed to where she had gone. “Pam?”

The familiar walls and portraits brought me no comfort. I could feel mother’s judging eyes and father’s cold, emotional ones track me through the corridors. They were going to be my guardian angels. If it wasn’t for sentimentality, they would all be taken down. I couldn’t recall a single happy memory with either of them. The best I had were ones that didn’t involve physical or mental abuse. Neglect had been their greatest gift to me.

The elevator shaft rattled. I looked down past the barred doors and saw nothing but pure darkness tunnelling into where hers and probably Margaret’s bodies were.

I quickly turned around when I heard the chair move across the room, again, but there no one was behind me. Why was she doing this to me? It had to be her. I knew I saw her down by the mines. It was too real. _She_ was too real. Even though I knew that she was dead, it had to be her spirit of sorts coming back. Did she want revenge? Was that why she was haunting me?

“Pamela? Where are you? I know you’re there. Whatever I’ve done to you, I’m sorry. I didn’t know that… that she was going to… I mean… I loved you as my best friend. I tried, Pam. Even giving Thomas that watch was so difficult because it reminded me of you and one of the last happy moments we had together.” Tears began to blur my vision. 

I pressed my back against the elevator door, covering my eyes with my arm. “Why did things have to turn out the way they did? If I could turn back time...”

“But you can’t!” My arm was ripped away from my face and the red, demonic face in front of me was not my friend. It was _her_. Her lips were twisted into a snarl. “Sinners!”

The door behind me creaked once, twice, and then it fell, taking me with it.

I let out a loud scream as gravity took hold and her face was the last thing I saw.

Suddenly, my wrist was yanked out of my socket, pulling anything cry out of me. “Amelia!” I looked up and saw the blurred image of Thomas leaning over the elevator shaft, holding on to me. “Hang on…”

…

Thomas’s eyes snapped open when he noticed that something wasn’t right. The bed was colder than it should’ve been. He reached over and couldn’t find her anywhere. Where had she gone? 

From behind him, Lucille was still sleeping soundly, but Amelia was completely absent from the room. He could see that the door was left slightly ajar. Had she gone to the bathroom?

He contemplated going back to sleep, but he thought he could vaguely hear her voice. It sounded as if she was speaking with someone. She had been strange since Pamela died. He worried for her mental health, especially after what happened with Margret.

Soon, he decided to get out of bed and investigate her whereabouts. He followed her voice to the elevator shaft that led down to the mines. Her sobs were clear as day. He caught his first wife’s name and immediately knew what was wrong. Pamela’s death had hit them incredibly hard.

“Why did things have to turn out the way they did?” she rambled on. “If I could turn back time…”

He watched as her arm was flung to the side as if it had been done by an outside force. Her eyes went incredibly wide. From behind her, the barred gate that she had been leaning on began to rattle, dangerously. He could see several screws pop out and down into the darkness below.

Without another thought, he raced towards her, just in time to see her fall backwards and caught her right before she could be lost to him forever. He could hear the pop of her wrist and let out a grunt of his own when the injury on his head began to pound into him. “Amelia! Hang on…” Carefully, not wishing to hurt her any further, he pulled her up to safety. 

As soon as she was safely tucked beneath his chin, he began to chastise her. “What on Earth were you doing?” He couldn’t even bring himself to sound angry. He was just so relieved that he had gotten there in time. “You know this house is old. Things bend and break easily. I could’ve lost you.”

“I saw her, Thomas!” she sobbed. “Pamela! I saw her and chased her down here, b-but… But then _she_ appeared instead and she was so angry.”

“Who? Who else was here other than Pamela?” He didn’t understand what exactly she could be seeing or how she could’ve even seen Pamela in the first place. The dead didn’t come back to life. That was impossible. 

“M-Margaret… She was screaming at me just before I fell.” She was about to fling her arms around him when she let out another cry of pain and the two of them looked down at the limp hand in her lap.

He gently cradled it in his larger hands and gave her a weary look. “This is going to hurt, love.”

She nodded, burying her face into his shoulder.

With a deep breath, he forcefully popped her wrist back into place. Her scream was muffled by his shirt. Her tears fell hot, soaking through the thin, old fabric. “Let’s get you back to bed before Lucille comes out here and yells at us both.”

Carefully, he scooped her into his arms and carried her back into the bedroom where Lucille was still oblivious to the world around her. 

“Do you need a doctor to look at you?” he whispered.

She shook her head, knowing that the doctor wasn’t going to look at her wrist. No, he thought that there was something wrong with her mind and she didn’t blame him. She, too, was beginning to question her own sanity. “I really did see them, Thomas. I saw her after Pamela died, too. Please, tell me I’m not going crazy.”

“You’re not, ‘Melia. There is nothing wrong with you. You’re just stressed out from what happened. I’ll take care of you. I promise.” He kissed her forehead. The tingling warmth spread down to her body and she sighed, snuggling close. “I love you.”

“I love you too,” she mumbled back.

As they fell back asleep in each other’s arms, they hadn’t noticed that Lucille had woken up during the commotion and was staring at the back of Thomas’ back. Beneath the pillow was her hand, gripping the knife that she always kept close by.

There was something plaguing her family and she was not going to allow it to ruin what she worked so hard to keep.

The next few seasons, they lived comfortably on what Margaret had left behind. Thomas had fixed the elevator gate and had sure that it was more durable than before. He had also made a new line of models to be presented to the nearby potential investors, but by now, they all knew him by name. Their preconception was enough to ruin any chances he had. He was thoroughly stumped on what to do and living off a dead woman’s money was the last thing he wanted.

There had to be a better way…

He worked hard trying to bring their lives back together. It was an up and down rollercoaster. Lucille’s mood swings became worse. One moment, she was kind and loving; the next, she’d scream and shout, throwing things against the walls. 

On the other hand, his younger sister had been impossibly quiet. Sometimes, he’d have difficulty even noticing her entering the room. He knew with utmost certainty that something was bothering her, but no matter how he prodded and pried, she would tell him nothing. Her insistence that everything was alright was the most worrisome of all. It meant that she was unwilling to accept help from any of them. 

She began to wither away, skipping meals and taking long walks away from the manor. It felt as if she didn’t even want to be there anymore. Something was spooking her. She spoke of spirits and vengeance. Lucille had been quick to dismiss her rambles, but Thomas wasn’t so sure.

He, too, had once thought that they were words of a shocked and confused girl, but it wasn’t long before he noticed strange things in the house. As the days past, he became more and more convinced that there was something haunting them. Items would be missing from where he thought he had left them on the worktable. Utensils would clatter to the floor without anyone even being nearby.

Soon, he joined Amelia on her walks, leaving Lucille to continue clinging on to the house and all of its dark secrets.

“I see them everywhere,” Amelia whispered, squeezing his hand tightly in hers. “Pamela… Margaret… Even mother.” A shudder racked her body. “It feels as if they’re following me around, wanting me to pay for all of my sins. It’s as if they want me to join them in their internal damnation. I’m so frightened, Thomas. Tell me that it’s going to be alright.”

He told her whatever she wished to hear, but they both knew that they were all lies. There was nothing else he could do for her. 

To help ease some of the stress and tension, he decided that perhaps a vacation was in order. 

It didn’t take much convincing for his sisters to agree on a trip to Italy. He had a feeling what was running through Lucille’s head. Amelia was just as predictable. She jumped at the chance of finally leaving the house for an extended amount of time.

“It will be fun,” he purred, brushing her hair to the side, while kissing a line down her neck. “Warmer than here with the sun on our skin.”

She beamed at him. “I can’t wait, Thomas!”

“Perhaps it will help you with those nightmares,” he stated. Nothing kept them away. Every night, she’d twist and turn in her sleep. Her cries would wake him and the only way to stop them was to steal her away from the grasp of sleep.

After, she’d refuse to return to her sub-consciousness, until exhaustion overwhelmed her and her eyes fluttered closed, once more. He’d be the one staying wake to watch over her. His fears were slowly growing. He was afraid that one day, he was going to lose her to the monsters that plagued her at night.

“Perhaps…” She looked down. “I’m just happy to finally be able to leave here. I don’t know how much longer I’d be able to handle this.”

Her desire to permanently leave was no secret. He wouldn’t mind finding a place closer to town, leaving behind the memories of what they had done and what had been done to them.

It wasn’t long before they were all packed and ready to leave. Amelia was practically bouncing off the walls, while she waited for her siblings to finish getting ready. Her excitement was contagious and he found himself unable to keep the grin off his face the entire day. 

…

Thomas had one arm around each of his sisters after they stepped off the train. It had been a long and tedious ride. The cart had a child who wouldn’t stop crying and the mother was nowhere in sight. It took both him and Amelia to keep Lucille from murdering the tiny thing.

It was an immense relief when the mother came back; quieting the toddler, but the mood had already been dampened. Lucille remained sullen, until they arrived at the station.

The warm breeze here quickly soothed her anger and he could quickly see her face brighten up with a small smile on her lips. It was subtle, but it was something.

He turned to Amelia who could not contain her excitement, even if she tried. She was practically vibrating against him. “This way. There should be a hotel nearby and a beautiful shoreline.”

They walked for ten minutes before setting their eyes on a looming building. The gold gates were like gates to heaven. Amelia slipped out of his arms, running towards the door. Her face threatened to split in two from the wide grin on her face. “Come on! Hurry up!” she shouted.   
  


Lucille frowned, but said nothing until she was beside their younger sister. “Amelia, you know better than to run and shout like a Neanderthal.”

  
...  
  


I pouted back at her. Lucille was the epitome of a lady, but only when she wasn’t plotting to con and murder. Of course, I wasn’t going to say that out loud. I quietly took the criticism like the lady my sister wanted me to be.

“Welcome, sir, madams,” the doorman greeted us as we entered, bowing his head.

I marvelled at everything around me as I did in Edinburgh, but I hoped that I wasn’t going to find anyone like Margaret here. I was going to do everything I could to prevent that from happening again.

“Here are your keys. We can help you take your bags up.” Two uniformed men bent down and carried our baggage.

Our room was close to the very top. The view there was wonderful.

I threw myself on to the bed as soon as soon as we tipped the bellhops and they both disappeared out the door.

The mattress was perfectly soft, bouncing just enough to make me sigh in contentment. No more lumpy beds until we return home!

Lucille shook her head at me. “Honestly! You’re not a child, anymore.”

“I don’t care,” I argued. “I’m happy! Why do I have to hide that?”

She said nothing in return. Instead, she went to the other bed with a huff.

Unlike the other hotel, this one had two beds. We had both occupied one. Thomas was going to have to decide which one he wanted to choose.

Uncertain, he was allies over between the two beds and set his bag down. “Why don’t we go out for some food?”

I nodded, glancing over to Lucille who mirrored my motion.

We changed out of our travelling clothes and headed down to the bustling town. Passing by the market, I was distracted by all the little, shiny trinkets in the stalls. All the shopkeepers kept shouting at me and I couldn’t help but comply to at least looking at what they had to offer.

Thomas chuckled and with one hand, he redirected me again and again towards the destination location.

We eventually made it to a cafe where the server smiled uncertainly at us. His English was abysmal, but he was endearing and tried his best to answer all of our questions. I smiled appreciatively at him.

The quirks of my lips faltered when I felt a hand on my knee, squeezing it hard. I swallowed hard, trying to regain my composure as it began to travel upward.

The server asked if anything was wrong, but I quickly shook my head and finished with my order before Lucille took her turn.

Once everyone was done, I turned to Thomas with a frown on my face. He refused to look at me and his hand remained on my leg long after the food came.

I didn’t understand what the problem was, until the server came back one last time with the check and a small dessert for me. A soft blush was on the young man’s face as he stuttered out a compliment.

My own face lit up and I properly thanked him before Thomas pulled me away after throwing down several notes on the table. We practically flew out of the cafe, stopping only when the quaint establishment was no longer in sight.

“Thomas! What on Earth is wrong with you?” Lucille scowled. “First Amelia and now, you! Both of you know better than to behave like young children in a public place!”

Thomas averted his eyes. His grip on my hand tightened. “I apologise. It will not happen again.”

With a sigh, Lucille shook her head and began to lead the way back to the hotel.

I glanced back at my brother who still looked bothered. “Are you a alright? Was it Luca?”

“Do not say his name in front of me,” he grumbled.

A giggle escaped. “You’re jealous.” I watched the way his ears lit up. “You know that there is no need. I have no feelings or anyone, except you. You are my everything, Thomas.” My voice was low enough to keep Lucille from hearing. I was afraid of what she would do when she realised that what Thomas and I had was deeper than the feelings we had for her. It was a sad truth, but nothing we could control. We love her as our sister and would do practically anything for her, but at the end of the day, she was just our sister. We indulged her because she had done so much for us.

“It is difficult not to be when another man is looking at you with such desire,” he responded just as quietly. “My instinct was to eliminate my threat and make sure that he was not going to take what is mine.”

My heart raced. His words shouldn’t be getting to me as they still do. I had heard them many times before, but each time affected me more than the next. “He won’t. No one will. I promise.”

He smiled, leaning over to leave a kiss at the corner of my mouth. “I will take your word for it.”

Thomas was happily pacified, especially when I told him that the chance of us ever seeing Luca again was slim to none. Unfortunately that one small possibility became reality when we bumped into him once more on our way to an impromptu meeting that Thomas had regarding his models and designs.

Luca’s father was there. He turned out to be a wealthy man who owned a chain of restaurants throughout Italy and his son had followed him to serve everyone something from their family recipes.

With them as well was his daughter who was just a little older than me. She was beautiful with long, luscious locks of auburn. I could immediately see Lucille eying her as soon as we found out who she was related to.

I tried to talk her out of it, but with one look, she shut me down.

I was left standing at the side with dread blooming at the pit of my stomach. I didn’t want to go through that again. A third time could very well be the end of me.

There was, however, no use trying to get through to Lucille. She was an unmoveable force. I was silent when she introduces Thomas to the young woman and even when he shot me questioning glances.

It didn’t matter. Lucille always got what she wanted, even when the involved parties wanted nothing to do with it.

“He is a very charming fellow, isn’t he?” Signor Sciotti asked, coming to stand beside me while the other three interact. “I’ve heard from my son that he had the pleasure of seeing you at one of our restaurants the other day?”

I nodded. “The food there was delicious. We wanted to go back, but there was simply too much to see and experience. We wanted to go to as many different places as we could and try out foods from all around Italy.”

“Indeed. That is a good mindset.” He smiled at me. “I understand that neither you nor your brother are married? Perhaps either of you would be interested in getting to know one of my own children and perhaps we could arrange something that could appease both of our needs.”  
  
I pursed my lips. Was he offering to fund Thomas’ projects if one of us married into his family? It was not something that I wanted to do.

I looked over to Luca who was trying his hardest trying to not look as if he was eavesdropping on our conversation.

“I appreciate the offer, but it is not my final decision, as you may already know. I will have to discuss this with my family,” I told him. I didn’t want to marry the boy, but I also didn’t want Thomas to marry the beautiful woman in front of me. Perhaps we could get out of Milan without doing either.

How did such a pleasant vacation turn into something so complicated?

Signor Sciotti nodded his head absentmindedly and kept his eyes fixated on Thomas and his daughter’s interaction.

I huffed, walking away after dismissing myself. So Thomas was allowed to flirt and cater to other women, but I wasn’t allowed to even smile at a server? That was absolutely ridiculous!

“Miss! Miss!”

I didn’t want to stop, but this was not Luca’s fault. He didn’t deserve my poor attitude or a cold shoulder. Turning, I saw him running towards me. His eyes were full of concern. “A-are you alright?” he panted, slightly bent over from exhaustion.

“I’m fine, Luca. Is there something I may help you with?” I asked, trying to be as curt as possible without being rude. I was pretty done with this day and this trip. I wanted to go back home, even if it meant that I had to face the crimson ghosts, again.

He looked down, his face reddened further. “I… I couldn’t help but overhear your conversation with father. I know that you’ll have to talk to your guardians before you can accept any proposals, but… I’m really hoping that you will consider becoming my w-wife.”

“Luca… You’re a nice guy and very good looking, but I am not quite ready to start a family. Not only that, we live worlds apart.” I felt bad for having to reject him. The way his expression fell made me look away. “I’m really sorry, Luca.”

“It’s alright!” he quickly replied. His face, now, resembled an overripe tomato. “We barely know each other, but father has really been pressuring me to marry soon and inherit the business and… I guess you’re really nice and pretty…” He looked away, stopping himself mid-rant.

I smiled, softly at him. “I’m certain that you will find a wonderful woman for yourself, soon.”

What I didn’t realise was that Thomas was going to bring one home with him.

When Lucille told me of the news the moment we returned to the hotel room, I was as pale as a ghost. I should’ve known what she was going to do, but I had hoped she would soon learn that this wasn’t a life Thomas nor I wanted to live. This life where we lure innocent lives into our dysfunctional family, alienate them from people who love them, and then exploit everything they had to offer before taking their lives. 

No matter how much I tried to convince her that this wasn’t going to work, she ignored me. She considered Thomas’ past two marriages as triumphs. We were richer than we were before, but didn’t she understand that money wasn’t everything? If we didn’t have to pour all our money into the dead house, then we’d be living comfortably elsewhere. 

It wasn’t long before I was on the train by myself. They were going to finalise the marriage and have a small ceremony. I didn’t want to be a part of any of it. 

As soon as I returned to Alderhall, I headed straight to the bedroom and hid myself from the world. Everything was a mess. I just wanted to pretend that things were still fine and Thomas was by my side.

The first night by myself was dreadful. Every creak and crack of the house made me jump out of my skin. I refused to investigate or even open my eyes for any of them. I remained buried beneath the covers until morning.

My mind was but a ball of fluff in the morning. I moved around the house like a ghost, wondering why again and again why I was even still here. What was the point? I stayed because Lucille refused to leave, which meant that Thomas wasn’t going to leave, but was it finally time to do something for myself?

Since returning, I had done things that I never thought I would ever do. I had allowed someone – a _friend –_ to be murdered. I had murdered someone myself. What kind of monster was I becoming?

_Bang!_

I quickly turned to the left, spotting a shadow flit across the end of the hall. This wasn’t the first time I had seen things like this, but I could never get used to it. “Stop it!” I screamed. “Leave me alone!” 

When silence greeted me, I threw myself on to the chair, rubbing my temples.

What was Thomas doing, now? I was slowly losing my mind and he was probably getting ready to marry _Enola_. What sort of name was Enola, anyway?

I sighed, shaking away the pettiness. I didn’t actually hate this woman who had done us no wrong. It was Lucille – it was this family. We were the ones who were wrong and we were slowly paying the price for it.

_Bang!_

_Screeeeech!_

I froze, looking at the long, dark hall, again. I could see a figure standing motionless in front of the dirty, cracked window.

My eyes remained fixated on it, hoping that it wasn’t going to start moving. I couldn’t recognise the red ghoul. There was really nothing left but tattered clothes and a naked skeleton.

I closed my eyes. My mind raced, hoping to erase the image from my mind. It couldn’t possibly be real. This had to be a part of my imagination, manifested from my own guilty conscience. 

When I opened my eyes, again, it was closer. The position of the neck changed, tilting its head off to one side as if it was mocking me. No. This thing wasn’t real. I had to stop allowing it to control me.

I blinked, taking a startled step back when I saw that no matter how hard I tried, it was still slowly approaching me. “Stop!” I shouted. “You’re not real! You can’t hurt me!”

Suddenly, it flew down the hall, moving so fast that I didn’t even have time to get away. The ghoul was in front of me, mere inches from my face. The jaws cracked open and it let out the most bloodcurdling scream I had ever heard.

My bravado evaporated into nothing as my feet finally unfroze and I darted away, hearing the bones rattling behind me. Its cackle shook the wall, shifting portraits out of place.

Once I was back in my room, I slammed the door shut and locked it, hoping that it wouldn’t be able to get in. “Thomas… Thomas, where are you?” I sobbed, curling into a ball.

It had been nine days since I arrived, clinging precariously to the last of my sanity. Each day, I hoped with no success for his return.

Eventually, I decided to pack my bags. I was going to spend one more night here before searching for somewhere eels to stay. Without him, I had no purpose here.

_Bang!_

I clenched my eyes shut. No more… No more…

Throughout the entire night, it remained just outside the door, making sure that I was going to get no rest. It had been getting worse and worse as time went on. Even when I managed to find several scattered moments of peace, it followed me into my dreams, leaving me too terrified to even close my eyes.

_Bang!_

But where was I to go? It didn’t matter whether I was awake or asleep. It would continue to haunt me. It was this place. There was blood and poison in its roots. How many lives were lost on the property? How many more will join?

_Bang!_

That one made me jump. All the previous ones had almost blended in together, but that one sounded different.

Deciding to take a peek over my safety blanket, I noticed with a chilling thought that the door was opened. I knew with absolute certainty that it was closed and locked shut. 

I dove back beneath the cover.

_Thump!_

I stopped breathing. The sound had come from underneath the bed. There was no way I was going to check, but what was I going to do? If I tried to leave, would it catch me? What was keeping it from killing me, now?

_Thump!_

It sounded as if it was right at the edge of my bed.

I made a split second decision and threw the cover towards it and darted out of bed, but as soon as my feet touched the old carpet, a bony hand had my ankle in an iron grip. I screamed and tried to shake it away. My efforts doubled as soon as I saw the sunken red face peek out. “Let go!” I shrieked, loudly.

With a swift tug, I fell painfully on to the floor and was dragged beneath the bed. My screamed echoed to no one.

…

Thomas wanted to leave with Amelia, but Lucille had her tight grip on him, whispering in his ears. It was true that the thought of finally having a backer was exciting, but not when he’d have to deal with the aftermath when it all went wrong and he knew that that was bound to happen. By now, he knew that Lucille had no intentions of keeping any of his wives around. 

Reluctantly, he went along with everything, watching at the side as Signor Sciotti signed the documents, finalising the marriage. He had a smug look on his face as he spoke to the pastor who congratulated him with a firm hand shake. If only he knew what was going to happen to his precious daughter… 

Enola, his blushing bride, looked at him through long, dark lashes. She was very beautiful, but he didn’t feel any emotional attachments to her. She was just another pawn to Lucille’s games, just as he was.

“Take good care of my daughter,” Signor Sciotti chortled. ‘She is a delicate flower. I expect weekly letters. Inform me if she needs help with anything and your first payment will come in a month’s time once I know that you are treating her well, understand me?”

Thomas nodded. “I understand, Signor. I will take care of Enola with the best of my abilities.”

Satisfied, the older gentleman tipped his hat and went off to speak to his daughter who still had a happy flush on her face. He hoped that she wasn’t going to expect much from this marriage. True, he was going to do his best to keep her alive, but that didn’t mean he was going to be able to give her the love of a husband. There was only one woman he truly wished to keep by his side forever and she was not present in this country.

The next few days blew by, leaving a mess behind. He was relieved when they were finally on the train back to Alderhall.

Enola sat beside him, staring out the train with wide, excited eyes. He knew that she had never travelled far. Her father had kept her close. This was a big step for her and he was going to help her adjust as best as he could.

Midway through the ride, his heart skipped a beat and a sense of dread began to fill him. They had been away from her for so long and he knew that they hadn’t left on good terms. She had begged him to go with her, but Lucille physically had her hands on his arms and he wasn’t able to get away without hurting his older sister. Perhaps he shouldn’t risk it because now he was worrying if something had happened to her, while she was alone in the house that she was so frightened of.

He sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. He could feel Lucille’s eyes on him, but he ignored the questioning look. If it hadn’t been for her, they’d be long gone from the dark memories for their past. He wanted to convince her that there would be no more deaths and deceptions after this, but he knew that it didn’t matter what he said. As long as Lucille was with them, this was never going to stop.

“Thomas, I’m so excited!” Enola exclaimed, beaming at him. Something about her reminded him of Amelia. Was it the innocence – the way her eyes sparkled?

He smiled back. “We’re nearly there. It won’t be long, now.”

The next hour, everyone was bustling around them, ready to finally get off the train.

After they were all outside in the chilly air, Enola immediately scooted closer to him, pressing against the side of his body. She was not used to the cold. Italy was usually warm and humid. This was an absolute shock to her system.

He brought her with him as he called for a carriage to carry them up the mountain. During the wait, Enola was shaking so hard that he ended up lending her his coat. It was cold, but not the coldest he had ever been. 

Once she was feeling better, she went back to her sightseeing adventure in the carriage.

When they finally arrived, he could feel his heart swell with his own excitement. He was going to see her, again. It had been far too long.

The moment he opened the door, however, his heart sank, slowly cracking at the sight in front of him. “Amelia…”

Her hair was an absolute mess, flying in every direction. Her bloodshot eyes looked as if she hadn’t slept since they separated and her face was sheet white. Her cheeks were sunken and her hands were shaking as she slowly descended the stairs in a beautiful white dress.

If he hadn’t known better, he would’ve assumed that she was a ghost – a beautiful white apparition.

“What is the meaning of this?” Lucille demanded as soon as she saw the suitcase in her sister’s hand. “What are you doing, Amelia?”

The younger woman glared at her. “What does it look like I’m doing? I’m leaving!”

Lucille stormed over to her and snatched away the luggage. It slipped out of the trembling digits with ease. “You are going _nowhere!_ ”

“Amelia…” Thomas stepped forward, but hands gripping tightly on to his arm stopped him.

Amelia looked at his new wife with narrowed eyes. “I don’t care what any of you say anymore. _Nothing_ is going to convince me to stay here. I am done!” She, then, turned to the newest addition to the family. “If you know what’s good for you, you’d leave while you still can.”

As she swept by with Lucille shrieking after her, she had retrieved her suitcase and ran out the door as quick as she could, catching the attention of the coachman who was still outside.

Thomas could see that there was a small limp to her step and knew that he couldn’t just allow her to leave when she was clearly injured.

He called out her name, again, as she thrust coins at the hands of the confused man who had been checking his wheels. “Amelia, wait!” He hurried away after her. “What happened? Tell me! We can work this out. You can’t leave me,” he begged her, hoping that there was something he could do to keep from losing her forever.

Wiping her eyes, angrily, she glared at him. “I’ve told you a million times already, Thomas! There’s something in that house a-and if you’re going to add _more_ to it, then I cannot stay any longer. I will not be part of all this madness, anymore!” With a huff, she tried to close the door on him, but he quickly stopped it with his arm, ignoring the pain of the wood slamming against him.

“I do, Amelia. I believe you. There is something in that house, perhaps all the ghosts that have sworn vengeance on us, but I can protect you,” he told her. “I’ll keep you safe. Just stay with me. I can’t live without you. You know that.”

“Then leave with me,” she offered. “We can leave all of this behind.”

He briefly glanced at Enola who was standing by the door and that seemed to be enough for Amelia to push him away and closed the carriage.

“Go!” she shouted at the man perched outside.

“No, Amelia! Amelia!!” He tried to run after the carriage, but the horses were too fast. In a matter of seconds, she was but a speck in the distance growing further and further away from him.

He couldn’t believe that that had just happened. Hasn’t they promised to stay together no matter what? What had she seen alone in the house that drove her into such frenzy?

His mind was completely consumed by the image of her leaving him. He brushed by both his wife who was trying to console him and his sister who was ranting about etiquettes.

“Leave me alone, Lucille,” he growled, wrenching his arm away from her. “Know that if we never see her again, it is on you.”

Lucille narrowed her eyes at him, but said nothing in response. It would be useless trying to convince him that everything she did was for the family and their legacy. If Amelia wanted to abandon everything, then so be it. She was no longer her responsibility.

“Is he alright?” Enola’s soft, tinkling voice asked her.

Lucille wanted to smack her, but refrained from doing so. This was only her first day. They needed to wait until the father sent over the large dowry and perhaps something more later on. “Everything is fine. Thomas will be over his tantrum, soon.”

The small wife shyly nodded her head before awkwardly waiting by the door that Thomas had locked behind him.

Lucille turned on her heels and left the newly married couple to solve their own mess. She was still fuming over what Amelia had just done. How dare that defiant, little girl think she knew what was good for _anyone_? All these years, her older siblings were the ones taking care of her, protecting her from the cruelty of the world. Once out there, her naive world was going to come crashing down and she was going to finally going to realise that everything Lucille had done was for her own good.

...

Thomas couldn’t bring himself to leave the room, even when he knew that his poor wife was still pacing outside for the past hour. He knew that it wasn’t fair for her, but he had just lost everything in that quick moment. His elation of finally returning to Alderhall had quickly turned into a nightmare. The emotional crash was unbearable.

“Why...?” he whispered into the empty room. Her scent was everywhere, slowly driving him mad - taunting him with what he couldn’t have. He was going to preserve her memories for as long as possible. It had to last for the duration that it took for him to find her. And he was going to find her.

“Where are you monsters, driving away the one precious thing in my life?” His voice grew darker as he glared at every shadow that resided. He didn’t care that these horrors stemmed from their own doings. The dead had no more right in the world of the living.

A knock on the door interrupted his thoughts of vengeance. “Thomas? Are you alright? May I come in? I’m very worried about you.” Enola’s soft voice was a great contrast to what was storming in his head.

He got off the bed and stepped out, shutting the door behind him. “Yes. I apologise. I know that this is not the reception that you deserve. I promise that things will get better. Amelia’s departure was... unexpected. She is not usually like this.”

Enola smiled understandingly at him. “There is no need to explain anything to me. Please, take as much time as you’d like. If you need help... I’m here.”

He couldn’t help but smile back at her. If he had been any other man, he would’ve held her and held her tightly, never letting her go. As it were, his heart had already belonged to one person and he had no intentions of giving it to anyone else. “Thank you, my dear.”

He went out every day, using every excuse he had to leave the house to go in search of Amelia. Every day, he’d come up empty handed. His moody attitude affected the entire household, but Lucille was going to have to deal with it. He had to live his whole life wondering if she was going to be his kind older sister or the demon that was slowly taking over her.

“Maybe she’s staying there?” Enola, bless her soul, had decided to help him. She was pointing at a bed and breakfast at the outskirts of the town.

He sighed and tiredly went up the hill and entered the old building. He hoped that she wasn’t here. It looked as if it was going to come crumbling down at any moment. He didn’t want to see her buried under its rubbles when that happened.

“Sir, have you seen my sister?” He showed the elderly gentleman the portrait he had sketched of Amelia.

The man leaned forward and squinted before shaking his head. “No, you wouldn’t find her here in this old place. You’d have better luck looking for her over by the lake. Nice view for a pretty lady like her.”

Thomas thanked him and the two of them went on their way down the other side of the hill. It truly was a wonderful scenery. The lake was sparkling beneath the winter sun and the building stood proud and tall.

It she wasn’t here, he didn’t know where else to look. He felt as if he had searched the entire town already. 

“We’ll find her!” Enola tugged on his hand when he began to slow down.

“What if we don’t?” The realisation that he may never see her again was finally setting in. How could he have allowed this to happen? He should've gone with her.

He stepped into the cozy entrance and knew immediately that this seemed to be somewhere she would be. It was perfect for her. 

“Hello, can I help you?” the woman came up to the desk with a smile on her face.

“We’re looking for my sister,” he said. “She’s been missing for the past three weeks. I’m worried about her. H-here’s what she looks like.”

He showed the lady the portrait and watched with bated breath as she narrowed her eyes at it. Was the sketch going to be the last image of her that he had to hold on to?

“Ah…!” the woman suddenly exclaimed before turning her beady eyes on them. “How do I know you’re who you say you are? Poor girl came crying in here, injured and looking as if the devil was on her tail. I’m not going to allow anyone else to hurt her!”

Thomas didn’t even care what she said anymore. This woman knew Amelia. She was here!

“We won’t hurt her!” Enola turned her innocent eyes on the woman and the stern countenance softened, slightly. “Please, we’d just really like to speak to her.”

Eventually, the woman – Barbara – conceded. She told them to stay downstairs, while she retrieved his sister.

Thomas felt as if he was going to blow. Was he going to be able to contain himself? All he wanted to do was…

He never managed to complete his thoughts when he saw her slowly descend the stairs, the limp was thankfully gone. Her wavy hair fell softly down her shoulder and her eyes were locked with his. He stepped forward before he could stop himself and in a short moment, she was pulled into his arms. He ignored the tiny gasp from her and the stares from the other two spectators.

“Amelia…” He kissed the top of her head, hoping that this wasn’t a dream. “Amelia…” He wanted to do more than just hold her. He wanted to kiss her until she was left panting with swollen lips. He wanted her to feel him buried so deep inside her that they would be one.

She placed her small hands on his chest and gently pushed. “What are you doing here, Thomas?”

He tilted her head to look at her eyes, but she quickly averted her gaze. “Look at me.” He didn’t like how it felt as if she was still too far away from him. “Come back home. We all miss you.”

Her head gave a small shake. “I can’t. I see them every day, every night. If I stayed there any longer, I will lose my mind.”

Her heart was practically fluttering beneath his fingers. If she didn’t go back with him, _he_ was going to lose his mind.

“Hello, Amelia. I’m Enola.” The brunette came up beside them and gave her a gentle smile, holding her hand.

Amelia’s eyes immediately filled with tears. She had been so rude to the poor girl before she left Milan. Why would she be so kind to her, now? She didn’t deserve it.

“Let’s go home together.”

She whimpered, shaking her head more fervently. “No… No! Please, don’t make me. I don’t want to see them anymore.”

Thomas didn’t know what to do. On the one hand, he wanted nothing more than to carry her back home, even if he had to bring her kicking and screaming. On the other hand, the way she was reacting made him rethink everything. She wasn’t going to be happy there and her happiness and safety meant everything to him.

What was he going to do?

…

I couldn’t believe that he was here. How did he find me? Glancing over to Enola, I noticed how the woman didn’t seem too concerned that Thomas was holding me like this. In fact, she had been an absolute angel. I couldn’t tell if it was only an act like Margaret’s had been, but at that moment, I didn’t care. With both of them so close and supportive, I wanted to give in to their request, but just the mere memory of the red ghouls made me banish the thought.

I should never have stayed that one last night, but now, I knew without a doubt that they were real. They _had_ to be. The hand-shaped bruises on my ankles were still visible. Nothing else could’ve caused them.

What I didn’t understand was that, what did they want? If they wanted to kill me for revenge, they would’ve done it long ago. As of now, they hadn’t done much physical harm, so why were they doing this to me? Was it possible that they _couldn’t_ kill me? Did that even make any sense? What was stopping them?

“Amelia?” Thomas softly pulled me from my thoughts.

“I’m not going with you,” I adamantly told him. “But I _do_ want to see you. Come visit me?”

He looked as if he wanted to argue, but Enola got there before him. “Of course, we will!”

I didn’t really want her here. It’d make it impossible for us to do what we wanted, but I couldn’t say anything back to her without sounding suspicious, so I nodded my head with a weak smile. Perhaps it wouldn’t be so bad.

Watching him leave was difficult. I wondered what he must’ve felt when the carriage took me away. I should’ve told them where I was going, but it was too late by the time I found somewhere that would accept a penniless girl. My courage had failed me. I knew that Lucille was enraged and a heartbroken Thomas would’ve killed me, or brought me straight back into my nightmare. I also didn’t want to see Enola at the time, but now, she kind of reminded me of Pamela.

She was nice. That didn’t mean she was not going to do us harm. Margaret had been a nice addition to the family, until she found out about our sins and wanted to kill us.

Margaret…

Could she have been the red ghoul who had dragged me under the bed? I knew that Pamela had to be the one in the chair. Even in death, she hadn’t gotten her ability to walk back. Whenever I saw the chair move, it was startling, but I knew that she wasn’t going to hurt or try to scare me.

“I’m not going to pry, but your family seems nice. I hope it all goes well for you.” Barbara patted my hand before sitting back down behind the desk and picked up her novel.

“I hope so, too,” I muttered to myself before sighing. “I’ll go clean the dining room.” I scurried off to think about what just happened.

The repetitive movements were calming. I was able to maul over Thomas’ proposal, but mauling was all I was able to do. I couldn’t make up my mind. My heart wanted one thing and my brain wanted another. Which one was I to follow?

Throughout the day, I moved around, speaking absentmindedly to anyone who greeted me. I wasn’t very good company, but I tried to make sure to be as polite as possible.

Suddenly, a hand grabbed me and dragged me into one of the supply closets. Immediately tried to struggle away, but whoever had me refused to let go.

“Calm down, Amelia,” he hissed. His voice made me freeze.

“Thomas?” I whispered in disbelief. “Why… Why did you just scare me like that?” I thought that _they_ had followed me all the way here.

“I apologise. That had never been my intention, but I had sneaked in here.” In other words, he was trespassing. ‘I had to see you. Lucille and Enola are at odds… I can’t stand being there without you. I missed you.” His hot breath brushed my ear, leaving a shiver travelling down my body.

“Not here, Thomas,” I sighed, leaning my back against him. “Someone will hear us.”

We stealthily moved up to my room where he proceeded to slowly shed his coat and shirt. My eyes were trained on his every action. He was such a tease. When he was completely nude in front of me, he raised an eyebrow at the fact that I hadn’t made an effort to take off my own clothes, so he decided to do it for me. His hands lingered on every sensitive spot, leaving me a writhing mess beneath him.

“There we go,” he groaned, pressing our bodies together.

I sighed, allowing him to do anything he wished with me. Being away from him for so long had been hard. “I love you, Thomas.”

He pulled away from my nipple with an audible ‘pop!’ “I love you, too, darling.”

The night went by hot and fast. We had absolutely no sleep, but I hadn’t been this content for so long. I was away from Alderhall with Thomas. It was everything I ever wanted.

From that moment on, he visited every night. Even though Barbara was informed that I may have visitors and he didn’t have to sneak around anymore, I knew that it must’ve been hard for him, travelling so far in the darkness, but not once did he complain about it.

Thomas wasn’t the only one who would drop by, though. Enola came often – perhaps twice a week. Her optimistic view was endearing. It wasn’t long before we became close friends. The only person I hadn’t seen was Lucille. There was no doubt that she was still angry at me. I had defied her wishes, but I was so fed up with everything there and I was really beginning to wonder what she hoped to accomplish in that old, haunted place. We had money to live completely now if we didn’t burn it all on the house.

One day, Thomas came with tired eyes. He looked as if he hadn’t slept in days and it wasn’t’ because of our nightly activities.

The moment he opened his mouth, I felt my heart sink. “She’s pregnant.” At first, I thought he meant Enola. “She knows I come here every day. She’s threatening the life of our child if I keep up this routine. Please, come back home.”

Lucille. It had to be Lucille. I hadn’t expected them to stop being intimate when I wasn’t around, but I never thought that either of us would ever end up pregnant.

Sure, the thought of carrying his baby appealed to me, but not to a life where there was no stability or normalcy. Was Lucille truly pregnant or was she saying it to chain Thomas to her?

I really hoped that it was the latter, but I had to plan for the worst. She was unpredictable.

“Let’s just sleep, tonight, my love. You need it.” I patted the bed beside me and he quietly complied, laying his head on my chest. We did nothing but enjoy each other’s company and when morning came, he lethargically left, moving as if the weight of the entire world was on his shoulders.

That very same day, Enola came with worry on her face. She didn’t know what we knew, but she suspected that something was very wrong. She told me of all her worries and how unpleasant Lucille had been to her as of late – more so than she was used to.

I tried my best to comfort her, but it was like the blind leading the blind. I didn’t know what would make things better because as usual, Lucille knew exactly what to do to throw everyone for a loop.

“Have faith,” I whispered to the both of us. “I’m sorry that this isn’t the family you imagined.”

She shook her head. “I really wanted to leave home. I don’t love Thomas or anything, so really… I’m sure we’ll never love each other like husband and wife. Maybe it’s because my father never loved my mother, either. I… I think he killed her when Luca and I were younger.”

My eyes widened. I never would’ve thought from how she acted. I always imagined her to have a perfect childhood. “I’m sorry, Enola.”

“It’s alright. You and Thomas have been so kind to me, but… do you mind if I asked you a question?” She looked down at her hands. Her face was flushed red.

I nodded, wondering what she was going to say.

“Thomas… I mean… Are you and Thomas…? Are you more than just brother and sister?” There was no disgust in her tone, but I feared if I answered truthfully, she would react like Margaret. I doubt I was going to be able to survive another encounter like that.

“We… our relationship is complicated,” I mumbled, my heart racing. “I love him with everything that I am. I would do anything for him.” Except living in the nightmare of a life that Lucille had designed for us.

I expected the admission to disgust her, but instead, she let out a relieved laugh. ‘That’s good to know. I thought I was being overly paranoid.”

I still didn’t know how to react to her reaction. She didn’t seem angry or annoyed or hateful. She was just being… Enola. “I…”

“Hear me out first,” she interrupted me. ‘There’s another reason why I didn’t want to stay with my father in Milan.” A nervous look passed her face. “I’m not really interested in men.”

I blinked. That wasn’t what I expected.

“If father knew, he would kill me, so I thought I’d go with Thomas. He is a very kind man, but I know he doesn’t love me like a woman. I knew that he wouldn’t force me to do anything I don’t like. He gives me more freedom than any man can. I am very happy here.” 

Suddenly, a giggle escaped my lips. It wasn’t long before we were both laughing loudly. We didn’t stop until someone banged on the door, yelling for us to quiet down.

We were still laughing with our hands over our mouths when the person walked away, grumbling.

I fell back on to the bed. “I’m glad you told me.”

She nodded lying beside me. “I’m glad, too.”

“If you’re not interested in man, then do you like women?” I couldn’t help but ask.

She nodded, again, the blush returning to her cheeks. “Thomas knows. He also knows that there’s someone in town who…”

My eyes widened and I grinned. “Who is she? Is she pretty?”

“Very, but her father is also very strict. She is the only child. I’m not sure if this will go anywhere,” she sighed.

I patted her head. “If you persevere, I’m sure everything will turn out alright.” I often felt as if what we were doing was wrong, but if I ever allowed it to stop me, I would never have felt the love I had. I wasn’t going to let that go.

We talked a little longer, until Thomas arrived with a shocked blink. HE was about to make an excuse when Enola jumped off the bed and shot him a beaming smile.

“What...”

I giggled. “Lock the door and come here, darling.” I pat the spot that was now vacant, which he ignored. Instead, he stopped in front of me and pushed me back, falling on top of me. “I didn’t think that you’d be coming anymore.”

“I can’t stay away,” he mumbled against my lips.

“Enola knows, Thomas – about us,” I told him, kissing him.

He froze. “What? I’ll talk to her, I – “

“She’s fine with it,” I continued on. “And apparently you already know about her own affair.” He confirmed it. “I like her. She’s not like Margaret.”

“I know. I like her, too, but not like I like you,” he purred.

I moaned, squirming way from his wandering hands.

We didn’t mention Lucille that night, but it hung over our heads on a very thin thread. She was like a ticking time bomb, waiting to tear us apart. I didn’t know what to do about her. She was my sister and I still loved her, but she was poison.

I didn’t want her to hut Enola and I knew that that was inevitable if the Italian beauty continued to stay at Alderhall. I was afraid that she would also eventually hurt Thomas.

When I suggested sending her to the doctors, Thomas shook his head. We knew that mental institutes didn’t treat their patients well, but what were we to do? She was unpredictable. She was dangerous.

…

Thomas knew that he was running out of time. Lucille was beginning to show. Her mood swings were worse than normal and he wasn’t sure when she was going to resort to more drastic measures to keep him by her side.

He could see why Amelia wanted her to get treatment, but the little boy in him didn’t want to let go of his only parent figure. Lucille had always behaved more like a mother and a lover than a sister. He knew that she had good intentions for their family, but she was ruthless getting there.

He spent countless nights trying to decide what to do with the situation. She had gotten worse with Enola around, even though the younger woman had been nothing but kind to her.

“Thomas!”

He sighed, making his way to Lucille. 

She had a glare on her face. “Why are you still sneaking out at night? Do you know what people in town are saying? You have to stop this. I don’t care if it’s for our little black sheep or if it’s for another whore. You will _cease_ this unseemly habit,” she hissed.

His eyes narrowed. He hated her nickname for Amelia. If anyone was the black sheep, it would surely be Lucille.

“This child will not live without its father.” She stepped towards him to stroke his face. He tried not to flinch away from her. “You know I love you, Thomas.” Her voice was soft and gentle, now. “When the baby is born, you have to take care of it. We will be a happy family together, won’t we?”

A cold chill ran down his spine. It sounded as if she had already dismissed Amelia from the family and he didn’t even want to know what she had planned for Enola.

“Why don’t I help you to bed? I’ll prepare food for you,” he suggested, already leading her down the hall.

She smiled at him. “I love you, Thomas.”

He found that he could no longer say it back to her.

When Enola came back from her visit with Amelia, he immediately pulled her to the side. “I need you to stay with Amelia for a while.”

“What? Why?” she asked with a frown on her face.

“I promised your father that I was going to keep you safe, but I don’t think I can when you’re in here,” he told her. “Please, stay there. At least, until… until Lucille gives birth.”

She gulped. “Is she going to kill me?”

“Not if I can help it.” He kissed her forehead. “Go pack. You should leave as soon as possible. I’ll meet you downstairs.”

She nodded and hurried away into her room.

When he turned around, he nearly jumped out of his skin as he spotted Lucille standing outside her room. Had she heard their conversation?

She didn’t say anything, merely walked back into her room. Her face was completely impassive. Her eyes were dead. He had never been more frightened of his sister as he was, now.

He went downstairs to pace and try to clear his mind, but nothing helped. He knew that she was probably not going to kill him, but he couldn’t be sure that she wasn’t going to hunt down the other two women in his life. If anything happened to Amelia…

Lost in thought, he suddenly realized how much time had passed. Where was Enola? She should’ve been done by now.

Dread bubbled at the pit of his stomach. He ran up the stairs and headed straight into her room. There was no one there. Her suitcase was opened with her things only half packed.

No… Why hadn’t he stayed with her? He didn’t think that Lucille would act so quickly.

A presence stepped in behind him. HE turned around with a sigh of relief, but it was halted by who he saw. “Lucille, what… where is she?”

“Why do you assume that I know?” she calmly shot back.

He narrowed his eyes at her. “Stop playing games. I am very serious. Where is Enola? What have you done?!”

A smile slowly spread across her face. “Bring our family back together. Then, I will tell you.”

She wanted Amelia here in this mess, again. He didn’t want her in danger after finally getting out, but that could mean losing Enola. She was the innocent party in their dysfunctional family. What was he going to do?

“I’ll talk to her, Lucille, but she’s a grown woman,” he told her. “I can’t take her kicking and screaming out the door. I will be arrested.”

Lucille seemed to accept his answer and he hoped that he had brought Enola more time.

He didn’t wait until she was asleep to visit her, that day. Lucille knew where he was going and what he was going to do. She wouldn’t try to stop him. Unfortunately, he didn’t know how he should bring it up to her.

A part of him was still afraid that Lucille would hurt her if she came back. If he had to choose between her and Enola, there was really no competition. He’d send Amelia was far away as possible if it meant keeping her safe.

“Thomas, you’re here early.” She kissed him. “Not that I’m complaining, but is something wrong?”

He should’ve known that she’d sense that something wasn’t right. “It’s Enola. Lucille has her.”

She frowned. “W-What do you mean?”

“I don’t know where she is, but I had told her to leave. Lucille got to her before she could pack.” Once the words started, he couldn’t stop. “Lucille said he’d tell me where she is keeping Enola if you return home, but I don’t want to force you. I’ll… and I’m sure Enola will understand if you want to stay away.”

…

I didn’t know how to react to the information given to me. I had never seen Thomas so flustered, but we both knew what Lucille was capable of. “I’ll come with you. If it’ll save Enola, let’s go.”

“Are you sure?” he asked, running his hand through me hair. “I can get you a train ticket to anywhere.”

I shook my head. Even if he was going with me and he probably wasn’t because of his sense of responsibility and hour, I wasn’t going to leave Enola to die, either. We should’ve stopped this long before all this happened.

Thomas pulled me into his arms. “Let’s have one more night to ourselves.” His lips lingered on my own. The warm puffs of air made shivers run through my body.

I saw no reason not to comply to his wishes.

We spent as long as we could in bed, wrapped in each other’s arms. “I love you,” he groaned, sliding out, leaving me missing him already.

“I love you, too,” I sighed, snuggling closer against him.

Alas, we couldn’t stay there forever. In another hour, we were moving back to Alderhall where I was going to have to confront the monsters.

The old building had never looked more ominous as I looked at it quickly approaching from the distance. “It’ll be alright.” He squeezed my hand, but it didn’t stop the slight tremour of my hands.

I was terrified of what Lucille was going to do to me. We hadn’t left on good terms. She looked as if she was going to murder me on the spot when I left. Back then, I had been too angry and still reeling from the haunting that I never even thought about it. No, I was going to have to deal with the consequences.

The door creaked eerily and the familiar musky smell hit me. “I’m scared,” I whispered, fighting the instinct to turn tail and run.

He kissed the side of my head. “We’ll do this together.”

Something told me that it may not be enough, this time.

“Let’s look around before she finds us,” I suggested, hoping to get Enola out without confronting Lucille.

He nodded.

We quietly searched the house, avoiding all the places Lucille would go. There was nothing at the attic where she had killed Pamela. There was nothing in the pantry or in the many rooms of the house.

Would she keep Enola in her own room? Thomas decided to check, while I waited around the corner. I didn’t want to go down the elevator shaft, yet. I knew what would be waiting for me there, so I delayed it as long as I could.

Unfortunately, it looked as if we may have to look down there if she wasn’t in Lucille’s room.

“Hello, dear sister.”

My heart stopped.

“Why won’t you look at me? Aren’t you going to greet you sister? I’ve missed you so.” Her mouth was right by my ear.

She wrapped her arms around me. “Oh, Amelia, why would you do this to us? I’ve worked so hard to keep our family together and you’ve been undoing all my hard work.”

Her fingers dug into my flesh. I knew there was going to be bruises later, but it was the least of my worries.

“Let go, Lucille. You’re hurting me!” I tried to shove her away, but she had always been stronger than me. She held fast and pulled my hair back.

“I won’t let anyone destroy our family, not even you. Know that I do this with nothing but love in my heart.”

Suddenly, my head was pushed forward, smashing into the wall in front of me. Pain exploded everywhere and I didn’t last long before consciousness was taken away from me.

…

Thomas rushed out as soon as he heard the commotion outside. When he rounded the corner to where Amelia was waiting, he found her missing. There was nothing but the smear of fresh blood on the wall, trailing down, and staining the carpet.

His heard dropped. Where had she gone? He should never have brought her back here. There was no guarantee that Lucille would even free Enola. Was she even still alive?

“What have I done?”

…

I groaned, feeling as if someone had cut open my skull, scrambled my brain with a butter knife, and haphazardly threw my skull back together.

As I lay on the hard, lumpy floor, I tried to recall what had happened. All I remembered was Thomas coming to see me. He ravished me on the bed and then… we left for Alderhall. We were trying to find Enola, but… but…

My eyes snapped open and I let out a groan of pain stabbing through my head.

“Amelia…?” A soft, weak voice reached me.

I looked over to the left and saw large, doe-like eyes staring back at me. Her hands were tied behind her back, chained to the wall behind her. I could feel that mine were the same, but my hands were in my lap. Her hair was matted with red from the clay-covered ground. “You look horrible,” I croaked.

She let out a burst of giggles. “You do, too.” When the laughter stopped, she looked sad. “Did she find you?”

I began to shake my head, but stopped when the pain became too much. “We – Thomas and I – came back to find you, but I guess she found me first…” I never actually thought that I would end up in this situation.

When I ran away from her, I was running from the ghosts, not my own sister. Maybe I should’ve known that this would eventually happen. S he had been changing more and more over the years.

“You shouldn’t have gotten involved in all this,” I sighed.

Chains rattled as she slowly crawled towards me. “IT’s okay.” She reached over to touch me, but the chains were too short. “It’s not your fault. I don’t blame you nor Thomas for anything.” That was what she was going to say now, but once she died, she was going to be like the rest of them. She was going to follow me around, never allowing me to rest without reminding me what had happened to her.

I closed my eyes, again. It was difficult to stay awake. I wasn’t sure if I had ever felt so tired before.

“Are you alright? There’s b-blood all over your face. When she brought you down here, I thought you were already d-dead.” Her voice cracked as she spoke.

“I’m alright, Enola…” I tried to reassure her, but my voice was so quiet that I wasn’t even sure that she could even hear me.

We remained down there for what seemed like days before the elevator rattled, signifying that someone was coming down. Lucille’s elegant dress swept across the ground; she looked upon us as if she were nothing more than rats at her boots.

She knelt down in front of me and stroked my cheek. “My poor Amelia… Look at what you’ve done to yourself... Why didn’t you listen to me? Everything I do is for your own good.” She placed a kiss on my forehead.

I was too weak and tired to respond. My head hadn’t gotten much better over the days. In fact, it seemed worse. My brain felt as if it was too big and didn’t fit in my skull anymore. Every action made me suppress a groan of pain.

“If you’re good, I’ll let you go.”

She got up and moved to Enola who was hugging her knees against her chest. “And _you_. How dare you betray me? I gave you a home to get away from your father and you tried to steal him away from me!”

Her hand came down hard on Enola’s face. The ring on her finger left an angry mark on the sun-kissed skin. Mother’s ring… She always took it back from Thomas’ wives. The way she was now, she truly looked like the woman we all despised as children – the woman she had killed to rid us of the hate.

Enola let out a sob. “I haven’t! I don’t want him like you do! I love another! _Please_! If you let me go, I will never come back here. You shall never see me, again!”

Lucille narrowed her eyes. “Do you know what I’ve learned over the years? If I want to get things done, I have to do it myself.” Her hand came down again, but this time, there was a spray of blood that splattered on every surface it could reach.

I watched in horror as Enola gurgled. Blood spewing from her lips as her neck was sliced straight across. Her body fell heavily to the side. The blood mixed in with the clay, trailing down towards me in dark rivulets.

Lucille continued to drive the knife into the body until it was unrecognizable.

“Why…?” I breathed. “Enola is no harm to anyone! She doesn’t even like men! She just wanted a place where she could be accepted. Isn’t that what we had been fighting for all our lives?”

She turned her cold eyes at me. The blood on her face gave them a red hue. “We? When have you ever tried to do any good for the family? You are _dead weight!_ ” she hissed, brandishing her knife at me. I turned my head right before she could stab me.

The sharp, dirty blade sliced through my cheek. I could feel a fresh stream of blood trail downward. 

She was breathing heavily as she looked like she was going to murder me, as well. Instead, she swiftly turned around and left me with what remained of Enola. The sharp, dirty blade sliced through my cheek. I could feel a fresh stream of blood trail downward. 

She was breathing heavily as she looked like she was going to murder me, as well. Instead, she swiftly turned around and left me with what remained of Enola Sciotti.


	4. Lucille Sharpe

Thomas was waiting in front of the elevator where Lucille had disappeared. He knew, now, where the two of them were, but she had promised to kill them both if he followed her.

His mind raced as the seconds passed by. He thought he was going to have a heart attack when he heard a scream. It was bloodcurdling. He nearly jumped down the shaft, but it was then that it began to rattle with life.

For a split second, he thought that one of Amelia’s ghosts was going to appear in front of him. Even when she stepped out, he had trouble snapping out of that strange notion. He wished that it really _was_ one of the ghosts when his brain registered that his sister had stepped out covered in blood and clay.

“Lucille…”

The calm look on her face was chilling.

“Lucille, what happened?” he asked. The anticipation was slowly killing him.

Her eyes flickered to him. A smile spread across her lips. “She’s gone. I got rid of her. No one is ever going to try to tear us apart, anymore.”

He took a step away from her, shaking his head in denial. “No… No, you couldn’t have…” He had been trying so hard to keep his mind off the possibility that Amelia wasn’t going to be in his future. It had been because of her hasty departure on the carriage, at first, but now, he was never going to see her again and it was his fault. He should never have had her come back.

“Come, Thomas. I am tired. Will you tuck me into bed?” she asked, brushing by him, leaving a smear of blood on his arm.

He stared at the essence of his love.

He wanted to immediately leave here, but his child was still growing in Lucille’s belly. He was going to have to wait until its birth to get away. The child was innocent. It didn’t deserve whatever karma that was going to come out of their sins.

“Thomas?” Lucille stood at the base of the stairs, waiting for him.

He silently followed her up and tucked her in as she demanded. Before he could leave, she grabbed his arm. “You shouldn’t go down there. I haven’t had the time to clean up the mess, yet. I know how much you cared about her, but it’s better this way. We’ll be together forever, now.”

He said nothing back and walked away when her grip on him loosened.

His Amelia was gone.

He should never have brought her back. She had been content where she was. Why did he bring her back here? He had missed her dearly, but nothing was worth this.

“I’m sorry…” he whispered, sitting in front of the elevator shaft. He wanted to go down there to face what he had done, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it. Lucille had referred to her as a mess. He could only imagine what the crazed woman had done to his beloved. “Forgive me, my angel. I shall join you, soon.”

He had a plan of taking the baby to the cozy inn for Barbara to take care of before he would take his own life. He hoped that the child would grow up happy and healthy and he knew he wasn’t fit to be a father. He would never be able to provide it with the affection it needed when his heart was gone.

Hours passed before he left his pot on the floor and went to take a walk outside. The air was frigid, burning his lungs with each breath he took. I t was nothing compared to the pain that was gripping his chest.

He glanced at the edge of the cliff. Would he be able to join her in death? He took a seat down on the rough ground, contemplating his options. He really didn’t have many. He could stay here with Lucille and continue this madness, living like a fake, happy family. He could leave Alderhall and try to move on from this, but he already knew that neither of these was possible. There was only so long he could pretend. 

“Thomas, what are you doing here?”

He didn’t move from his spot. He couldn’t stand to even look at her – the face of their sister’s murderer. It was difficult to even see her as his sister anymore.

“Thomas, get back here, this instant!”

“Why?” he whispered. ‘What has it all been for? What is our end goal?”

“This is nonsense!” she huffed. “Come back inside before you freeze to death!”

“I’d die here if it meant seeing here, again,” he told her. Lucille never cared for _family_. She had used it as an excuse to do take whatever she wanted. It had all been for her own selfish gains.

“Don’t be ridiculous!” she scolded, stomping over and began to tug at his arm. ‘Come inside, _right now_!”

“Why does it matter, Lucille?!” he growled back at her. “Am I just a means to more riches? Is that why I am still alive, while everyone else is dead?”

“I need you to be the father of our child.” She knelt down, placing a hand on his shoulder. “I cannot care for it alone. Come, Thomas.” A kiss was placed on his cold cheeks. He could barely feel it. Everything was growing numb.

“If you come back, I’ll show you something that will surprise you. It’s about our dear sister,” she finally huffed.

That had caught his attention, just as she knew it would. He reluctantly got to his feet and slowly trekked back inside with her claws on his arm.

“Now, isn’t that better?” she asked, smiling at him.

He stared blankly back at her. ‘What did you have to show me?”

“Come.” She beckoned him over to the elevator shaft where he was hoping to avoid for the rest of his life. “It’s down here.”

What could possibly be worse than what he had already experienced? Dying was only a means to an end, now. He didn’t fear it. He had nothing holding him here, anymore. 

The small metal chamber rattled loudly as they descended to the mines. Once they arrived, it took him a moment to adjust to the lack of light. At first, his brain couldn’t make sense of what was in front of him, but eventually, the outline of a slumped over person caught his eyes.

Her long, matted hair hung in front of her and her dress had dark splotches all over as if it had been dipped into a vat of liquid.

“A… Amelia…?” he gasped, rushing towards her.

She weakly lifted her head. Her dull blue eyes looked blankly into his. “Thomas…” Her lips twitched as if she was trying to smile at him, but it appeared more like a grimace.

“What is the meaning of this?!” he shouted at Lucille who had been calmly watching everything.

“You didn’t think I’d actually hurt our precious sister, do you?” She had a sick definition of hurt.

“Let her out of these chains, this instant!” he demanded, tugging futilely at the metal cuffs that were cutting into her delicate wrists. “I’m sorry, darling.” He kissed her forehead. “I’ll get you out of here.”

Her dull eyes looked sadly back at him. “Enola… S-She’s dead… We couldn’t protect her.”

He swallowed, glancing at the blood lumps that had once been his wife. This was the very epitome of his failure – the lowest he had ever been. “It’s alright. We tried our best. Think about yourself, now.” He should never have brought Amelia back here. This was his fault. This was all his fault.

Lucille glared at the sight in front of her. She had wanted to avoid this. If only her death wouldn’t mean his, as well. NO, this was fine. There was nothing either of them would be able to do to free her. In fact, she could use little Amelia as leverage to make him concede to her every desire.

A smile slithered on to her face. ‘Come, Thomas. We should leave her to rest. She’s had a very trying day. You wouldn’t want anything bad to happen to her, do you?”

Gritting his teeth, Thomas gave the poor girl one last squeeze, promising the world when they got out of this and they were definitely going to get out of here. “I love you.”

“Love you, too,” she mumbled back, sighing as she watched him reluctantly walk away from her.

Thomas couldn’t stop all the thoughts swimming in his head. There _had_ to be something he could do. Of course, there was, but he didn’t want to stoop to her level. He didn’t want to have to kill his own sister, but if it meant choosing between the two of the, there was no doubt in his mind who he would save.

For the next few days, he tried everything he could to get her out of the chains, but as usual, Lucille had been one step ahead of him. She had gotten rid of all his cutting tools and followed him wherever he went. She even had him stay with her every night in her bedroom and he knew that she was an extremely light sleeper. Every time he tried to leave, she’d know and sink her claws into him.

He was trapped. All he could do was make Amelia’s life as pleasant as possible, considering their situation. 

He had cleaned up the remains of Enola, dropping her into the vat of clay and slid the lid back into place. “I’m so sorry. I hope you will find peace.” He laid a kiss on the top and went back up to clean the area. Once he was done, he had a wet wash cloth to wipe away the filth that covered his younger sister. He even had her in a different set of clothes.

All the while, Lucille watched over them like a hawk.

“I’ll be back with some food,” he promised.

Amelia nodded back at him with her eyes downcast.

The dark days only got harder as Lucille looked as if she was about to give birth. Her mood swings never got better. He didn’t even know if they were even caused by her pregnancy, anymore, or if she had simply descended further into madness.

This woman who lived with them, who caged his beloved was no longer the sister he had known and loved.

This woman was more demon than human.

“Leave me alone…” he heard the mumbles as he entered the basement. “Stop haunting me… I’m sorry… I’m sorry…”

Amelia was staring in front of her with tears streaming down her face. When he called out her name, she quickly turned her bloodshot eyes at him.

“Thomas!” she sobbed, burying her face into his chest, trying to keep from seeing what only she could see.

“It’ll be alright. I’m here.” He stroked her tangled locks, nothing that it was much longer than he remembered. How long had it been since she was down here? It must’ve been at least half a year, now. “Lucille is about to give birth, soon. When she’s weak, I’ll try to steal the key from her,” he mumbled. 

Unfortunately, he couldn’t even do that.

The night was absolute chaos as Lucille’s shrieks woke him up. The bed was drenched beneath her. The baby was coming earlier than either of them expected and there was no time to fetch the doctor.

With the vague knowledge of childbirth in his head, he told her everything he heard the doctor tell his mother when Amelia came into this world. “Breathe, Lucille.” His hands were shaking uncontrollably as he spread her legs further apart, trying to see if the baby’s head was coming out.

Lucille let out another scream that chilled his blood. The adrenalin was coursing through his veins, but it only made him tremble harder. His mind jumped from stealing the key to Amelia’s chains to the innocent life that was slowly being introduced into their lives.

He ran out of time to decide when a tiny, wrinkled foot poked out. The baby was coming out the wrong way and he had no idea what to do. “Lucille, I can’t get the baby out!” he exclaimed.

Her eyes were clenched closed with pain and she was losing far too much blood. “P-Pull it out…” she gritted out.

With shaky hands, he tried to get a good grip on the goopy infant. F or another ten minutes, he struggled with extracting the tiny baby. “Maybe Amelia can help. I don’t know what I’m doing.”

“And she does?” Lucille hissed back. “Just pull it out!” Another shriek ripped through the night.

He let out an exasperated sigh and continued to gently pull the infant out and finally after an eternity passed, the baby boy’s body popped out. All that was left was the head and when he tried resuming the extraction, he was met with resistance. It was then that he truly knew that something was horribly wrong.

The umbilical cord was wrapped tightly around him. The face was practically purple from the lack of oxygen.

He tried his best to be gentle, but the dread had already settled at the pit of his stomach. “Lucille… I need something to cut the cord.”

Weakly, she reached beneath her pillow and pulled out a letter opener – the one that Amelia had used to kill Margaret.

“It’s not sharp enough. I need – “

“Use it!” That was all she could say before she passed out cold.

With all his strength, he used the old letter opener and managed to tear through the tough tissue. He quickly freed the infant, but no matter what he did, the baby was still and silent.

“Come on… Come on…”

Nothing.

He sat on the floor with the stillborn in his arms. He never got to know his child, but he still felt a connection to him. Another failure… That was all he had as of late.

“My baby…” he soft voice broke through his thoughts. "I want to hold my baby.”

He wasn’t’ sure if it was a good idea. Her mentality had always been fragile. This could finally throw her off the deep end.

“Show me!” she shouted.

Hesitantly, he handed the tiny form to her. She cooed at their son, trying to rouse a reaction, but there was none. There was never going to be any. “Mummy is here. Open your eyes, love.” When she got no reaction, she looked up at him. “Why isn’t he waking, Thomas? Why isn’t my son waking up!?”

“I’m sorry, Lucille… The umbilical cord was wrapped around his neck. I tried, but there was nothing I could – “

“Don’t lie to me!” she shrieked. ‘He’s not dead! My baby is not dead…” Her shoulders fell as she sobbed.

It had been so long since he last saw her cry. Suddenly, she appeared human, once more. It almost felt as if he had his sister back, but he knew that it wasn’t going to last.

“We’ll give him a proper burial. I’ll prepare everything. Just rest,” he told her.

When she looked back at him, the demon was already back. “I know what you’re planning. You want me out of the way as you search the house for the key, but you won’t find it, Thomas. I’ve already gotten rid of it. She is never leaving here, again!”

He didn’t want to argue with her, now, after both of them suffered such a tragedy. “Rest, Lucille. Please, you’ve lost a lot of blood. I don’t want you to be hurt any further.”

She continued to glare at him, but knew that there was nothing she could do in her condition. “Go. It doesn’t matter what you do. She will never leave here.”

Suppressing a growl of frustration, he turned on his heels and left. Of course, he was going to try to get Amelia out of her prison, but he also intended to do what he said – give their child a proper resting place and he wasn’t going to be able to do it without supplies.

As he was donning his coat, a shadow appeared at the corner of his eyes. In another second, he was knocked over. His head felt as if it was about to burst from pain. His gaze travelled up to the bare feet and continued upward to cold eyes.

…

_They’re not real._

_They can’t hurt me._

_This is not real._

_This is a nightmare._

_I need to wake up._

_Maybe if I opened my eyes…_

But I didn’t want to. I could feel them all around me. If I reached out, I knew that I’d be able to feel their bony anatomy.

No matter what I did, they wouldn’t leave me alone. Their very presence suppressed me. I had never felt as low as I had now.

“You’re not real…” I muttered. “You can’t hurt me. There is no one here. I am alone.” Somehow, the last sentence didn’t make me feel any better. I didn’t want to be alone, either. I wanted to be in his arms where I knew I would be safe.

One day, the elevator shaft rattled as someone came down, but this time. He was missing. Lucille stepped out with a smile on her face. Her eyes were bloodshot and rimmed with exhaustion and she donned a black dress that trailed behind her. Her pregnant belly was gone. She must’ve already given birth. Even as she was, now, she was still very beautiful as if she was an angel who was finally going to release me from this Hell, but I knew better. She wasn’t here to save me. She was going to make sure that I was never going to leave here.

“Where’s Thomas?” I croaked, trying to ignore the red bodies that had dispersed slowly to look at the new arrival. 

“Aren’t you happy to see me?” she asked, the smile never leaving her pale face. “You made me very, very sad, sister. Can’t you see who much I love you? This is for your own good. You need to learn that this world is not kind of people like us. I just don’t want you to be hurt.”

Lies. Everything she said was nothing but lies. I couldn’t believe that I had fallen for her façade for so long. I was such a fool. “Where’s Thomas?” I asked, again, knowing from what he had quietly told me that she would never let him go anywhere alone.

“There is no need to worry about him. I would never hurt our brother. You know how much I love him.” She knelt down and took a lock of my hair. “You need a proper bath. Let your older sister help you.”

My protests meant nothing to her. She always did whatever she wanted.

When I was bare in front of her, she made it no secret that she lingered on certain spots, hoping to arouse a reaction from me, but I kept as stoic as possible. I only moved to give her access to hidden spots.

“There we go.” She kissed my forehead. “Don’t you feel all better, now?”

I said nothing to her, so she went on by herself. “Thomas and I will be leaving for a few days. I’ll leave enough supplies for you here. Tell me if there is anything else you want me to bring down.”

There was nothing I wanted that she would give me. She was still trying to sound like the caring sister that I knew she wasn’t.

With a smile, she left me with questions of what had happened to Thomas. He was still alive. I was certain of that because I knew how attached she was, but it didn’t mean that he wasn’t hurt. I couldn’t think of any other reason why he hadn’t come down with her.

I closed my eyes, feeling them press around me, again.

“Enola… I know I couldn’t save you, but can you check to see if Thomas is alright? I think something happened to him,” I quietly whispered into the cold chamber.

I didn’t know what I expected. They all remained silent, but when I opened my eyes, I saw that my Italian companion was missing. The other two were still hovering around, but suddenly, they didn’t seem so intimidating anymore.

I figured that the one baring its teeth at me was Margaret, while Pamela was seated beside me and the last one was lingering in the back. I had a feeling who it was, but it had been so long. What was she still doing here? 

Several long minutes later, Pamela’s crimson body crawled through the wall towards me. It was an eerie sight. I had to keep reminding myself that this was my friend. This was the kind woman who loved to go to the marketplace and buy flowers.

“P-Pam, how is he?” I quietly asked.

Her hollow eyes stared into my own. I was so caught up looking at the dark sockets that I nearly didn’t catch what she was trying to say. It was a light whisper that wisped towards me, barely audible, but unmistakeably Pamela. 

_“Thomas… hurt… unconscious… worried…”_

My heart stopped. “What? Is it Lucille? What did she do to him?”

She nodded. _“Alice… Hurt…”_

“Can you help me out of these?” I asked. “I need to help him. I swear, when we’re safe, I’ll do anything I can to help you find peace. None of you deserve to be stuck here.” Even Margaret who had wanted to kill us. In the end, I was the one who had taken her life and if there had been any other option at that moment, I would’ve taken it.

She tugged weakly at the chains, but all it did was rattle lightly. They were not strong enough to move anything.

I sighed. “Then, just keep me company. I’m really sorry that I haven’t taken the time to understand any of you before.

Enola took a seat on the other side of me. With both her and Pamela, I wasn’t feeling so lonely anymore.

…

Thomas groaned in pain as he slowly regained consciousness.

What happened?

When he opened his eyes, eh saw that he was in Lucille’s room. He was tied to a chair beside the bed. Finally, the memories came back to him. He was going to go into town to grab a few things for the baby and to help free Amelia.

Lucille had hit him before he was able to get away. The sheer will power of that woman was admirable if she didn’t have such malicious intentions. Just moments before, she had been screaming in pain and bleeding everywhere… He was never going to figure out how she managed to even get out of bed.

He could still smell it, but the sheets had already been changed. Not a single stain could be seen.

“Thomas, you’re awake.” She came in with a tray of food. Her smile was soft, but her eyes were dead. “Here, I’ve made you some eggs and toast. It’s best to eat a light meal after sustaining injury. How are you feeling?”

He tugged at the ropes tying his wrists down. “Why are you doing this? Let me go, Lucille. I need to give out baby a – “

“That’s been taken care of already,” she interrupted him. “There’s no need to worry about that, anymore. Our darling will always be here with us.”

He swallowed. “Where is he?”

“Our sister will look after him, while we go to the Americas. I’ve already prepared everything. We will leave in three days’ time.”

“I beg your pardon?” He stared at her in disbelief. She couldn’t already be moving on, could she?

“Here.” She extended the fork full of scrambled eggs towards him. He tried to argue, but she put it into his mouth as soon as he opened it. “I hope you like it. I made it just for you.”

Soundlessly, he finished off the meal in hopes that it would appease her and allow him to speak, but he felt his vision began to blur. “W-What… What did you… do…?” He tried to blink away the spots of black, but nothing helped. It already felt as if his brain was shutting down.

“Rest, my love.” She kissed him. “Everything will be as it should be very soon.”

“Luc – “

His mind had conjured the most torturous images for him – all his guilt, regret, lust, and love. She’d be taken away from him over and over again. A part of him wanted it all to stop, but another part of him knew that this was the only way he’d be able to see her. Even though she was in the same house, she seemed so far away. She was unreachable.

The days went by where he was more often unconscious than not. He really had no idea what was happening. Sometimes, he even wondered if he was still alive or if the poison had finally killed him. This was the Hell he deserved for everything he had done.

 _“Stay… Strong…”_ a wisp of a voice reached into the darkness.

It was so hard. He had no control over anything. What was he holding on for? It was all hopeless. Life no longer had any meaning.

_“Amelia… Love… Life…”_

He whimpered, shaking his head. Amelia… She was gone. He was too late. His beautiful Amelia…

_“Alive… Live… Life… Amelia…”_

“Wake up, my love,” another voice woke him up.

He didn’t want to face reality. Leave him in this Hell. Leave him to die.

“Thomas, darling.”

He jerked away from the cold hand on his face. “Lucille…” He noticed that he was no longer tied down, but when he tried to stand up, his legs collapsed beneath him and he was barely able to support himself with his elbows. His entire body felt as if it was liquid.

“Do not dally. There is not much time to lose. We will miss the ship if we do not leave, now,” she told him, gesturing to two suitcases.

“What are you talking about? W-Where are we going?” he asked, trying to will away the pounding headache. “And Amelia, is she coming with us? We can’t just let her starve to death!”

She sneered at him. ‘No need to worry about her. She is well taken care of. Now, _come_. We must depart immediately!”

He was dragged along as if he was a mere child, left to worry about what had become of his beloved while he was between life and death.

When the boat set sail, he knew that there was no going back, now. Lucille continued to sedate him, until he was barely lucid and made an excuse to everyone that he had a mental problem. It was truly a living nightmare.

Everyone gave her their condolences and she ate it up.

“I love you, Thomas,” she whispered, laying her head on his chest. “We will be together forever. Our boy may have joined the angels, but we will have another and another. We will have the family we always wanted.”

He didn’t say anything back to her. There was nothing to say. He had already given up all hope that she was ever going to get better. He just had to figure out what to do to get both him and Amelia away safely. Despite everything, he still wasn’t willing to kill her.

The travel was torturous. He was constantly worried that Lucille may spontaneously push someone off the ship. He didn’t even know who was watching who anymore. The paranoia made it difficult to sleep.

To while away the days, he began to write everything down. His thoughts were endless and it made him feel better that he wasn’t just keeping it all inside, anymore.

A soft set of knocks made him stop what he was doing and opened the door to see a young woman with a soft blush on her face. “G-Good day, sir.”

“Good day, my lady.” He took her hand and laid a kiss on the soft skin. “How may I help you?”

Her blush deepened. “My friends and I will be at the captain’s dinner, we were wondering if you’d like to join us.”

He smiled at her and was about to reply when Lucille walked over, placing her hand on the poor girl’s shoulder. She let out a startled cry before letting out a nervous giggle. “H-Hello. I’m Grace… My friends and I were just – “

“Leave,” Lucille hissed, glaring at the other woman. “You were disturbing my husband and me. Have you no shame?”

Grace looked as if she was about to jump out of her skin when he decided to save her. “She was just being kind,” he told Lucille before turning back to Grace. “Unfortunately, my… _wife_ and I already have something planned. Thank you for your consideration.” He smiled at her and she weakly smiled back before quickly departing.

“There was no need for that,” he told his sister once they were alone.

She hummed, brushing past him without a word.

“I’m going for a walk. I’ll be back later,” he muttered, feeling the need to get away from her.

He slammed the door closed and went up to the deck. The wind ruffled his hair and chilled his face. Leaning over the rail. He wondered how much longer he’d be able to handle it. This _had_ to be the last one, no matter what happened.

Not soon enough, the land mass could be seen in the distance and they packed everything up.

As usual, they found a nice hotel to stay in, but it felt wrong without Amelia with them. He hoped that whatever Lucille prepared was enough. T he last thing he wanted was to find her dead, starving body because he was an inept fool who couldn’t save anyone.

“You can’t ignore me forever, Thomas,” she told him. “When will you realise that all I do is for you? No one will love or care for you as I do.

He said nothing. He was through with lying to make her feel better. Clearly, she had no regards to his feelings, why should he with hers?

“Tomorrow is your meeting with the investors. I’m sure one of them will have a daughter who is looking for a handsome husband.” She kissed his cheek. “I know that your charm will reel them right in. There is no doubt in my mind.”

Unfortunately, what she said was true. The woman eyed him as if he was a fresh piece of meat. Even more unfortunate, none of the potential investors took him seriously. It was everything he’s heard before. His work was only good for a child’s entertainment.

He smiled at all the ladies as he left with his machine models back in his briefcase, but he gave none of them a chance to talk to him. He was in absolute no mood. He was a failure at everything he strived for.

The next day, however, the banker’s daughter sought him out. He had no choice but to take her to the ball. His sister was thrilled and made sure that everything was perfect. She even secured an invitation for herself as the pianist.

It had been a while since he heard a well-tuned piano. The one at Alderhall had been well-loved, but it was old. The beautiful wooden frame was rotting. The metal strings were pulled nearly as taut as it’d go. The only things remaining in pristine condition were the ivory keys.

At the ball, he courted the handsome Edith Cushing who challenged him at every turn and told him of her near impossible dreams. It was a shame that she was never going to be able to see it come to fruition. If Lucille had anything to do about it, she wouldn’t even see the next winter.

“You don’t have to do this,” he murmured to her. “You are still young and beautiful. You can –“

“My father is dead. Where else am I to go?” she asked him.

It had only been a week since he met her. Surely, Lucille hadn’t already… She had never killed outsiders before, but he found that he wasn’t even surprised, anymore. It was bound to happen sooner or later. She was becoming more and more unstable. Her ruthlessness increased with time. Perhaps she, too, was growing tired of this horrible cycle and wanted this to be the last. 

With the entire inheritance going to Edith, it would go to _him_ if they married and she had a sizeable fortune that would keep them comfortable for years to come.

He rubbed his eyes.

The wedding was quick, a mere formality. Neither of them wanted anything fancy. It was far too long before they were finally on their way back to Alderhall. The travel was truly unbearable.

…

Food was scarce. I had proportioned everything to its bare minimum. By day seventeen, most of it had already rotted. The bread was stale and the water tasted funny, but they were the only ones left that would not make me sick.

Ironically, the only good things were my companions. If I hadn’t been so afraid of them in the beginning, perhaps things could’ve been different.

I didn’t know how much time had passed since they stopped coming down here – since they left Alderhall. I didn’t even know if they were ever going to come back. Maybe this was how I was finally going to die.

Looking hungrily at what was left of the petty morsels and what was left of the portions I had made; I knew that it had been over a month, already. I had to split up the food further. Maybe half or a third of a piece of bread… A sip of water a day…

My stomach was constantly in pain. My head still ached every second of every day. I didn’t want to be here, anymore.

 _I didn’t want to live, anymore_.

Eventually, the food was too rank to consume. The water was gone. I was ready to go. I only hoped that I wasn’t going to end up stuck here after I died. I didn’t want to see Lucille kill him because I knew that she would if this continued on and Thomas would do nothing to defend himself. He was too good for this family.

_“Darling, wake up,” he whispered._

I groaned, turning my face and saw him hovering over me. He had a tray of food in his hands, but the smile was enough to brighten the darkness that had washed over my life. “Thomas…” I sobbed, throwing my arms around him.

He chuckled, setting the tray down and holding me close. “I’m back. I’m never leaving you, again.”

I sighed, enjoying just the feel of his warm body against me. I never thought that I was ever going to see him once more before I perished. “I love you. I love you so much.” I pulled back just enough to see his face properly. His beautiful blue eyes gazed back at me. “H-How are you? Where did you go?”

“It doesn’t matter,” he murmured. “All that matters is that I’m with you.” His hand ran over to the ribbons of my corset.

My heart raced. “I’m filthy. I should bathe first.”

He hummed, burying his face into the crook of my neck. “There’s no need. You’re perfect.”

My dress was suddenly gone and his bare body covered mine. The warmth was heavenly. “Mine,” he groaned, quickly entering me with one hard thrust.

I let out a cry. It was not painful, but the sudden intrusion was slightly uncomfortable. It had been so long since we were together.

His movement slowed to a gentle rhythm, adjusting me to his thickness. I buckled my hips, pushing him deeper. _More._ I needed more of him.

He grinned, sliding out. I tried to grab for him, but he flipped me over. My face was pressed against the viscous red clay that was on the ground. He slid back in from behind, pounding into me, until I was screaming his name. It didn’t matter who heard, I only needed him.

My fingers dug into the clay as he brought me over the edge.

He spent several more hours inside me before we settled on the ground, completely drained. The food was forgotten, lost in the clay that covered our bodies. It actually felt quite nice, like a thick, shifting blanket over us.

With my face pressed against the side of his neck, I mumbled, “Where’s Lucille? Did she finally leave us alone? Can I go back up, now?”

He stroked my hair. “Of course.”

Our clothes were a lost cause, so we left them behind. Upstairs, the halls were clean. T he curtains were tied to the sides, leaving the sun to freely flow into the house. I t was the first time I ever thought of this place as beautiful.

“Come on, love. Let’s go into the bedroom,” he purred. ‘I haven’t had enough of you, yet.”

I followed his lead into our bedroom where we continued to make up for all the days apart. This was bliss. This was heaven.

“Where’s Lucille?” I asked, again. Something didn’t feel quite right. Had something happened to her? Why wasn’t he telling me anything? “Thomas?”

“Don’t worry about her, love.” He kissed me on the forehead. “She won’t bother us here.”

I snuggled closer to him, mewing contently at the thought that this room could be a sanctuary away from her.

After staying in bed for most of the day, the hunger finally overwhelmed me. The noise my stomach made caused him to smile. We went downstairs to the kitchen and I began to boil the water. Lunch was simple – scrambled eggs with bread and milk. I wasn’t sure if my stomach would be able to handle anything more.

Thomas watched me eat and it was starting to make me a bit nervous. I couldn’t brush off the feeling that something wasn’t quite right and it wasn’t just the fact that Lucille was mysteriously missing. There was just something odd about Thomas, as well.

Was it his eyes? They were beautifully blue, but deeper inside those orbs were… nothing? It was as if he was also missing, leaving behind a shadow of who he had been.

I put my fork down. “What’s wrong, Thomas? And don’t tell me nothing because something happened! Stop hiding it.”

He smiled. “How could anything be wrong? I’m here with you and without Lucille. Everything is as it should be. Everything is perfect.”

He wasn’t giving me anything. I didn’t understand the reason for all the secrecy. Why couldn’t he just tell me?

“Let us not dwell on the past,” he said. “There is nothing good going back there.”

He took me to town the next day. The weather was unusually nice. The sky was a clear blue with not a cloud in sight. The sun felt wonderful on my starving skin. It had been so, dreadfully long!

Whenever I looked into the mirror, it appeared as if a ghost was staring back at me. My hair was long and unkempt. My skin was nearly transparent with blue veins peeking through like a mosaic. I was hideous. How could Thomas even bear to look at me?

“You’re beautiful,” he murmured from behind, pushing my hair to one side. “Don’t ever think otherwise.” He left kisses on my neck, sending pleasurable tingles down my body.

He brought me jewels and dresses, but everything felt so hollow. Was I broken? I should be thrilled with all the freedom, but it was as if nothing felt right, anymore.

_Bang! Bang!_

_Screeeeech!_

I froze. “What was that?”

I looked around the crowded market, but no one seemed to be aware of the piercing sound.

“What was what, darling?” he asked, wrapping his arm around my waist.

“I… It’s nothing…” I mumbled.

We didn’t get very far before I heard it, again. It was louder, as if angry that I was ignoring it.

_BANG! BANG!_

_SCREEEEECH!_

That noise was causing a headache, but there was nothing I could do about it. I couldn’t figure out the cause nor the source. It became so bad that I Had to return back to Alderhall and lay in bed, wishing for some peace and quiet, but none came.

_Bang! Bang!_

_Screeeeech!_

“Ignore it,” he mumbled, stroking my hair. “You are safe. There is nothing to fear here. I will always protect you.”

I pushed him away. “You said you couldn’t hear it!”

“I don’t,” he stated. “But I know what is happening. They are trying to take you away from me. You don’t want that, do you?”

I fervently shook my head. “But I want to know what is happening. _Please_.”

He sighed. “Don’t be angry. I only ever wanted what’s best for you, but perhaps that is not enough. I’m trying my best. Why can’t I be enough? I love you, Amelia. I love you so much. Stay with me here… _forever_.”

The temptation was great. This place was perfect. It was everything I ever wanted. I wanted to stay with him here forever, too, but this wasn’t right. It was _too_ perfect.

The tears fell as I knew that I would have to leave him to go back to reality. “I love you, Thomas.” I leaned down and kissed him, holding on to the warmth as long as I could as the world around us began to crumble. “Find me. Save me.”

A part of me was already screaming, regretting my decision. I could die happy here where I knew I was loved, but I was afraid that I was going to lose the chance to see the real Thomas, again. Because even if it was only a slim chance, I had to take it. 

“I’ll come for you,” he promised, giving me one final kiss before my eyes snapped open.

I was back in the dirty, old mine. The clay was beginning to leak out of the vat beside me. My feet were slowly being buried in its red goop.

“Hey. Hey, are you alright?” A young woman knelt beside me and placed my head on her lap.

“W-Who – “ My throat felt as if a razor was stuck in it.

“I’m Edith Cushing. I… I married Thomas Sharpe. What are you doing here? Do you know them? Were they the ones who did this to you?” she asked, staring at me in horror. I must’ve been quite the sight – and smell – as I was bathing in my own filth. How could she even stand to touch me? I was disgusting.

“Thomas… Where?” I whispered as well as I could.

“He’s with Lucille, right now.” She spoke her name as if just that was going to summon her here. “Hold on. I’ll be back with some water. You look dreadful.”

I tried to tell her to stay, but she was already gone, ascending back up the elevator without me.

Another eternity passed before she returned with a jug of water. She poured a full glass and handed it to me. “Don’t drink too quickly.”

I couldn’t even if I wanted to. There was barely enough energy in me to remain sitting. Holding the glass caused my hands to shake violently. My throat worked hard trying to keep the cool liquid down.

When I was done, I handed the cup back to her. “Thank you. M-May I see Thomas?” I asked her. “I want to see him.”

From the strange look on her face, she must’ve thought I was mad. I hoped that I wasn’t going to frighten her off. She was truly my only chance of survival.

“You will. I’ll have him come down here as soon as I catch him alone,” she said. “What happened to you? How did you end up here?”

“T-Thomas is my brother,” I told her. “Lucille… She’s completely lost it. She chained me down here. It’s been so long. I’ve been alone down here for so, so long. Can you get me out? I don’t want to be here, anymore. I don’t want to die here, Edith. _Please_.”

“How? I don’t know what to do. Will Thomas help me?” She bit her lips in worry.

I nodded. “Lucille has a ring of keys. She keeps it with her at all times. I think it’s there still, but I haven’t seen them for weeks. I can’t be sure that she hasn’t thrown it away by now.”

Edith looked frightened at the aspect of having to take anything from the stone-faced woman. Nonetheless, she promised to try and try was all I could ask of her.

She was my last hope. It seemed that even Thomas had forgotten about me if she was the first face I see after their return. How long had they already been in Alderhall, while I was dying here?

It hurt knowing that he had finally found a wife who made him forget about me, but maybe I should’ve known better. We were doomed from the start. I only wished that I never woke up. It hadn’t been worth it.

Perhaps that was what my brain has been trying to tell me all along. Only in my dreams can he still love me…

As the tears fell from my sore, red eyes, I tried to sleep the rest of the day away to quicken the time.

He never came – neither in my dreams nor in person.

A day must’ve passed before I saw Edith, again. She looked spooked as she spoke of her day, mentioning red demons. I was surprised that someone else could see them. There was finally confirmation that I wasn’t crazy.

I quickly reassured her that she wasn’t going mad before mentioning that most of them were friendly. She didn’t seem too reassured.

As she helped me with the bread and water and a small bit of chicken that she managed to sneak down, she also told me about Thomas. I could already tell that she was infatuated by him and I really couldn’t blame her. He was a very handsome and charming man. 

“Are you able to bring him down here?” I asked, hoping that I would be able to see him one last time before…

“I’ll see what I can do,” she promised. She was kind enough to help this haggard stranger. I wasn’t going to have any ill will against her even if things didn’t work out.

To be honest, if I died here, maybe Edith was a good match for him. She seemed like an intelligent woman who could match him in both charm and wit.

I closed my eyes when she left, going back to search for my happy place. Whatever happens, it was going to happen soon.

My hand squeezed the knife that I had sneaked away from the plate. The cold handle of the old, silver cutlery gave me strength that night.

For the next few days, Edith brought me food and water. My body was feeling better, but my heart was still in tatters.

Alone, I contemplated my options. There weren’t many, but there wasn’t much else I could do. I didn’t want to think about him, anymore.

_“Don’t… give… up…”_

_“He still… loves…”_

Bless them… If it weren’t for their encouragements, I would’ve long since perished.

_“Darling, don’t give up on me,” he whispered. The sound was but a light touch on my cheek. “I promised that I’d find you. Don’t lose faith in me.”_

_Tears blurred my vision. “But you know perfectly well where I am. Why haven’t you come, yet? How much longer must I wait?”_

_He looked so sad as he sighed, pulling me against him. “Give me time. You know what a fool I can be. I will find you. Every part of me is in love with you. I cannot exist without you, Amelia.”_

_It was hard. It was so very hard. My spirit had already taken a terrible beating. I wasn’t sure how much longer I can withstand._

_I snuggled into him, relishing in the memory of his warmth. It was so cold beneath the house._

_It was so cold…_

_…_

Since returning to Alderhall, Lucille had gone back to being his shadow. She followed him everywhere and made sure that he was in her bed every night after Edith went to sleep.

She promised that she was taking care of Amelia, but he couldn’t be sure. When exactly would she have the time for that? He was truly frightened that when she next saw her, there would be nothing left of his beloved.

“Thomas! Thomas!” he heard Edith hiss at him as he stood watching Lucille play the piano. Her eyes were closed and he had tried many times to leave thinking she wouldn’t notice. She _always_ noticed.

“Thomas, Amelia wants to see you,” she muttered under her breath.

His own became caught in his throat. It had been so long since he last saw her. If he had a choice, he would’ve rather suffered down in the caves by her side. How far was he willing to go for her? Could he truly do Lucille harm?

He squeezed his eyes shut. Perhaps it was finally time. He had to make his move before Amelia became nothing but a memory.

“Tell her that I’ll see her, tonight,” he mumbled back. No matter what… He’d see her, even if someone had to die for it.

Edith nodded. “She really doesn’t look well. Help me get the keys from Lucille and we can free her together.”

“Don’t you think I haven’t tried?” He was angry at himself for being such a failure. His father had been right all along. He could never amount to anything.

She let out a soft sigh. “I just need a good distraction. Give her a reason to put them down long enough.” She could feel her mind and heart racing. This was exactly like one of those thrillers that she so very loved to read, but everything could be on the line and she had to make sure that this story was going to have a happy ending.

“We’ll save her, Thomas,” she promised.

He didn’t know what to think of his young wife. Each time he thought that there was hope to be had, Lucille knew just what to do to crush it. The likelihood was that Edith, too, was going to end up losing her life to Crimson Peak.

“I believe it is time for me to make supper. Why don’t the two of you help me, tonight?” Lucille elegantly got off the old, creaky piano chair and gently covered up the ivory keys. She made her way to the kitchen, knowing perfectly well that they were going to follow her without a fuss.

Thomas set up the table, while Edith was quietly working on the cutting board. It was going to be chicken and vegetable stew.

Lucille was humming a merry tune, while the mood was inevitably somber.

When all the stew was divided, there was nothing left in the pot. Edith looked down at her own portion, wondering if she could save some for Amelia without looking suspicious.

“Eat,” Lucille told her. “Or is there something wrong with the way I cooked it?”

She quickly shook her head. “No! It’s good,” she said after a sip of the scolding liquid. “Delicious.”

“Then you better finish it up.” Lucille gave her a withering look that made her feel sick to her stomach. It was as if she knew what had gone through Edith’s head.

Under scrutiny, she had no choice but to finish her bowl.

Amelia was going to have to settle for some bread and water. Edith knew that she must’ve been tired of it by now, but what choice did they have when Lucille was observing them like a hawk?

Once everything was cleaned up, Edith tugged on Thomas’ hand. “Let’s head to bed. I’m quite tired, tonight.”

They scurried away before Lucille could say anything. She had a lot to say to him about his sister and once she had the chance, the words wouldn’t stop. She went on as her mouth went dry. She went on as Thomas sat heavily on to the bed. She went on even when he began to cry because he needed to hear this. His younger sister was dying and he was still idly indecisive.

“Help me save her, Edith,” he whispered. “I can’t lose her.”

She nodded. There was nothing she wanted more, at the moment.

That night, after Lucille had gone to bed, Edith kept watch as Thomas went down to the mines. He didn’t have much time before the paranoid woman would be expecting him.

When he arrived in the old, clay-stained chamber, he immediately knew that Lucille had been lying to him. S he had not been down here since they left for America. He wasn’t even sure if she had left Amelia with any provisions, but she must’ve if his younger sister was still alive. If it wasn’t for Edith… He couldn’t even think of what would’ve happened to Amelia.

As he slowly approached where he had last seen her, he had difficulty spotting her small form in the darkness. Everything had a thick coat of clay. _Everything_.

“Amelia…?” his soft voice echoed.

Nothing.

He feared the worst.

Had he been too late?

“Amelia?”

Finally, a curled up form moved. It was then that he could differentiate her from the rest of their surroundings.

He quickly ran to her, dropping to his knees and pulling her into a tight embrace. “My love, I am so sorry it’s taken me this long. I promise that you have never left my mind.”

She tilted her head and looked at him with uncertain blue eyes. Dark bags made it seem as if she hadn’t slept for weeks and she was incredible thin. He could feel every rib press against him. There was really nothing but skin and bones. Her clay-soaked dress probably weighed more than her. “Thomas…? Am I dreaming, again?”

His broken heart shattered at the weak voice. “No, darling. I am here. I am really here.”

Her hands shakily reached up to touch his face, brushing away the tears that welled up in his eyes. He could feel the clay streaks left behind, but it didn’t matter. He’d roll around here with her if it meant she was content and healthy, again.

He took her wrists and examined the raw skin beneath the rusty, metal cuffs. It didn’t look good. The lesions were discoloured and filled with pus. She was also running a slight temperature.

“I’ll get you out of here, soon. Just hang on for me. I can’t lose you.” He kissed her grime-covered forehead. “You must’ve been so lonely here by yourself.”

She tucked her head back beneath his chin. “I’ve had Pam and Enola here. They’ve been keeping me company while you were away.”

He froze. “They’re dead, Amelia.”

“I know, but I can see them and they’ve been there for me,” she said. Her voice lacked any sort of argument. Instead, there was a dreamy tinge to it.

Her words also brought chills down his spine. He needed to get her out of here. There wasn’t much time to lose. “Alright. Say hello to them for me.”

He regretfully extricated himself away from her, gently prying away her gripless fingers. “I’ll be back. Lucille will be expecting me, shortly. She can’t know that I’ve been here.”

She let out a whine. Tears began to well up in her eyes. “Don’t go. You can’t leave me, again. I can’t do this without you. _Please_.”

“I’m sorry, love. I’ll be back. I promise.”

She fervently shook her head. “No! How will I know this is real if you go? How will I know that you’re not just something conjured up by my mind? I’m so frightened that this… This…” She completely broke down in front of him. Her tears streamed down her face. Large droplets fell on to the clay in audible plops.

He pulled her back towards him and into a deep kiss. Every part of him begged him not to go. They could die here together and he’d be happy if she was with him, but he also wanted a future with her. He didn’t want to let go of his dream. How long had he wished that they’d find a small, quiet cottage with a large field for their children to run around and play?

He closed his eyes.

Children…

He had always wanted children and he had to give it a fighting chance. “I’ll be back, my love, because this _is_ real. Even if it hurts, I’ll never give up on us. You can’t either. Promise me. _Promise me_.”

She gave him a small, hesitant nod. “I promise.”

Painfully, he pulled away one last time. “I love you.”

When he was upstairs, he was feeling more determined than before. Each step towards Lucille’s room was fuelled by the need to finally take back control of his life.

“Thomas,” she breathed after opening the door for him. She pulled him into her room and immediately began to tug at his clothes. “I don’t like her.”

“Who?” he asked, feeling disgusted as she kissed his bare chest. 

“Ms. Cushing!” she hissed back. “She is far too outspoken for a lady. Once we make her sign the papers to her inheritance, we must get rid of her. I can take that insolence no longer!”

He forced himself not to react as she went on. How could Lucille thinks of little of life? Money wasn’t making any of them happy. They were in a never-ending cycle of death and chaos. It wasn’t worth it. It wasn’t worth trying to preserve this destruction. 

The next day, Edith did it. She and Lucille had gotten into a small argument. Her keys were left on the table and she managed to slip them into her bodice, hoping that the other woman wouldn’t notice. Fortunately, she hadn’t.

Edith quickly took the newly stolen items downstairs.

As usual, Amelia was asleep, possibly unconscious. The glass of water was empty, along with the plate of bread and cheese.

“Hey.” She gently shook the brunette. ‘Amelia, wake up.”

A soft groan came from the other woman. “E-Edith…?”

“How are you feeling?” she asked, gently taking the chained wrists. It took her several tries to get the right key. The elation came and went in a split second. When it clicked open, she tried to take it off, but froze when the other woman let out a cry of pain.

“Sorry!” she quickly apologized.

…

I shook my head. It wasn’t her fault. My raw skin had stuck to the rusty metal cuffs. “J-Just take it off fast.”

I took several deep breaths, bracing myself for the pain.

Once it was done, I let out a sigh of relief. The physical pain was nothing compared to the excitement of finally being able to get out of here. “Thank you, Edith! I don’t know who to ever repay you.”

“Come on, let’s go before she finds out.” Edith tried to help me to my feet, but the lack of use made them useless. It was painful just to put any weight on them. The tingles shot straight to my spine and I fell back on to my bottom.

The two of us tried to get the circulation going again in my legs. It was a strange process of rubbing it back in. 

Eventually, there was enough feeling in my legs to hobble to the elevator. “Thomas took Lucille to the market. He’s going to distract her for as long as possible. Is there somewhere for you to stay? We can send for a doctor there.”

I nodded my head, hoping that Barbara was willing to let me stay with her. "It’s at the edge of town, but I don’t think I can walk all the way there, right now.”

My entire body was aching. Each muscle screamed in protest as I walked into the familiar hallways.

Home… What did that word even mean, anymore? 

I was feeling more lost than I ever did before. My home, my sister, and even Thomas… It felt as if they were all gone. For the longest time, he had been my stable. Now, I didn’t even know what to think of him. The love was eternal, but a part of me felt betrayed by his neglect.

It was because of him I had returned to this Godforsaken place and in return, he left me to rot. He left me to die, along with the rest of his forgotten wives.

By the time I was outside, I was ready to pass out, again. My legs trembled in a way that made it very difficult to walk. The trek down the mountain was full of breaks that made Edith anxious, but there was nothing that could be done. She wasn’t strong enough to support me all the way down.

When we finally reached the bottom, we were able to fetch a carriage. The coachman gave one look at me and was about to refuse when Edith shoved several coins into his hands to keep him silent. “Can’t you see she needs help?” she barked.

We climbed in and I let out a sigh of relief. It was finally setting in that I was really getting away from that nightmare.

The carriage took us to the familiar building by the edge of the lake. It was as if the sunlight there was extra bright, illuminating the safe haven where Lucille couldn’t hurt me.

We stumbled in, frightening the elderly woman who had been knitting behind her desk. “My poor dear, is that you, Amelia?!”

I stopped down in front of the roaring fireplace and cried into his arms. She was safe. S he was warm. She was what I imagined a mother should be. 

She didn’t ask me what happened. Instead, she took us up to my old room and brought us food and tea.

“Will you be alright here?” Edith asked.

I nodded. “Thank you so, so much. I will be fine, but you can’t go back. Lucille will kill you if she ever finds out what you’ve done.” I hung on tightly to her sleeve. I couldn’t let another die.

She patted my hand. “I will, but I must return first before they do. I promise that I’ll be fine.”

Shaking my head, I tried again to keep her here. “No. No, you won’t. You’re not his first wife. All of them have died. I can’t let that happen to you, too. _Please_ , Edith. Listen to me before it’s too late.”

  
“I will. I’ll need to tell Thomas. He deserves to know that you’re safe, doesn’t he?” she quietly said to me.

Reluctantly, I go of her. “Don’t let Lucille do to you what she has done to so many before you.”

“I promise.” With that, she was gone.

Barbara returned once more, helping me to a warm bath to get rid of layers and layers of filth that covered me. I stayed in the tub long after the water had gone cold.

_“How are you feeling?” HE wrapped his arms around me from behind, kissing my bare shoulder._

_I sighed. Him, again – the other Thomas. “I’m feeling better.” I turned my head to look at him. It was nearly impossible to differentiate between the two. “Will you come find me, again?”_

_“Yes,” he replied with certainty. “Always.”_

_Of course, he was going to say that. He was a figment of my own imagination. He could deny me nothing._

_I sighed, relaxing against him. The most needed reprieve was lovely. The other Thomas was the only thing that kept me going when I was on the verge of finally surrendering myself to the angel of death._

_“What’s going to happen, now?” I quietly asked him._

_He didn’t know. I didn’t, either._

Barbara came back to check on me and quickly got me out of the chilled water. “What on Earth were you doing? You will get yourself sick! Sicker than you are, now! You, silly girl!”

I allowed her to wrap me up in a robe and lead me back to my room where she gently combed the knots out of my damp hair.

“Thank you,” I mumbled.

She sighed, sitting beside me with the wet towel in her lap. “I’m not going to pressure you to tell me, but I want to caution you against returning to your home. You looked as if you were on death’s door.”

I didn’t want to go back. I didn’t when I arrived here the first time and I still didn’t, but what if I had to? No matter what, my heart still yearned for Thomas and if anything happened to him, there was no more meaning to life.

“Thank you for helping me.” I didn’t know what else to say to her. There was just so much on my mind – so much that I wanted to do, but didn’t know how to go about it.

Barbara pulled me into a hug. “If you ever need help – anything, at all – just ask. I will do everything in my power to help you.”

I snuggled closer, imagining what life could’ve been if she had been my mother, instead.

“Now, go warm yourself up and get some rest. I will come to check on you, tomorrow.” She smiled warmly at me before leaving.

Alone in the room, I was instantly brought back to the dungeon because that was what it became for me. I was afraid that this was only a dream. It wasn’t the first time that it had happened, but I could usually tell if it was reality or not. This could be a particularly bad day for me. It had happened several times before where I’d try to figure out what was actually real.

I ran my hand across the clean sheets. It was by no means in the best quality, but it was clean and it was as good as mine. I touched the loose thread at the left edge and moved over to the small hole at the foot of the bed.

Finally, I laid my head on the pillow. The soft fluff was heavenly. Almost immediately, I was asleep, but my dreams were all but kind to me. I was thrust back into the clay-covered chamber where I was trying to fight for life.

_“Let me out!” I screamed, tugging over and over again at the chains. I couldn’t be here, anymore. “Let me out!”_

_I should’ve known that everything was too good to be true._

_Harder and harder I pulled, ignoring the pain and protests from my body. With all my strength, I tugged, falling backwards as I was finally free from the chains._

_My chest heaved up and down, relieved that I was no longer stuck to the wall._

_When I tried to get up, I tumbled down on to my face. My eyes travelled to the hands that wouldn’t support me, except my hands were absent. In place of them were two bloody stumps._

_From the pool of blood a face emerged. Its empty eye sockets were the abyss that pulled me in and refused to let me go._

_As more of it came out, I could recognize who it was. “Thomas…”_

_He opened his mouth and let out the most bloodcurdling scream._

_“Amelia!”_

“Amelia!”

I gasped, scrambling away from the hands on my shoulders. The scream was still ringing in my ears.

“Amelia, you’re safe! It’s only a nightmare!”

Finally, I opened my eyes and realized that I was the one screaming. The only one in the room with me was Barbara who was staring at me with concern.

“S-Sorry…” I breathed, trying to clam myself down. ‘I…” Seeing Thomas in that form was nerve-wracking. I couldn’t imagine a world where he was gone. He had to get out of there or else, he, too, was going to join the rest of them.

“It’s alright.” She smiled. “I understand. Do you want some warm milk?”

I shook my head. “I think I’m going to get some fresh air and walk around the lake.”

“Do you want me to go with you? IT’s dangerous for a young lady such as yourself to walk around at night, especially in your condition.” She retrieved an old coat I had left in the closet and helped me into it. It smelled musty, but it was warm. 

“I’ll be fine,” I told her. “I need some time alone.”

I slowly limped down the stairs and made my way towards the lake. It was a lovely, cloudless night. The moon and stars were perfectly reflected in the dark waters. When I sat down, it almost felt as if I was also part of its infinite beauty.

“Come back to me safely, Thomas,” I whispered, dipping my hand into the lake and watching the ripples disrupt the sky.

I was alone for a while, lost in thought, when suddenly, “Hello.”

I jumped and nearly fell backwards into the water when a hand quickly steadied me. “H-Hello.” The man was tall, looming over me. His shadow was intimidating, causing me to wonder if I should’ve listened to Barbara.

“I apologise for frightening you,” he said, giving me an uncertain smile. “I’ve just arrived here and I was wondering if you know of a place I can stay?” Yes, his accent already gave him away.

He could see my reluctance to reply and quickly added, “I-I’m really bumbling this up, aren’t I? I’m Dr. Alan McMichael. I arrived here quite late in the night, but I’m here to visit a childhood friend of mine.”

I was still skeptical of his intentions, but it was probably safer for me to leave the lake. “There is boarding where I’m staying,” I hesitantly answered him, hoping that I wasn’t making a mistake and bringing danger to Barbara. “Would you like to follow me?”

” _Please_.” He seemed just as wary as I was. 

We were two strangers outside in the witching hour, hoping that the other wasn’t some sort of serial killer.

“Amelia, are you back alr – “ Barbara froze when she saw that I wasn’t alone. “Hello, good sir, how many I help you/”

“I apologise for how late it is, but I’m looking for a place to stay for a few days,” he said. “I can pay you handsomely as compensation.”

Barbara rubbed her tired eyes and put on her spectacles. “Just this one time.” She went over to her desk and opened her book. “Your name?”

Dr. McMichael gave her all the information she required and once they were done, she told me to show him to his room.

“Thank you very much, miss. You and your mother are very kind to take me in so late,” he said as he followed me up the stairs.

“She’s not my mother,” I told him. ‘But she is a very kind woman and employer.”

“I see…”

“Here you are, sir.” I opened the door for him and handed him the key. “Breakfast will be available at seven in the morning.”

He thanked me, again. “One more thing. DO you happen to know how to get to Alderhall?”

I narrowed my eyes. “You don’t want to go there. Good night, sir.”

Why did he want to go there? What kind of doctor was he? Was he there for Lucille or had something happened to Thomas? No, he mentioned a childhood friend. He had the same accent as Edith.

But the more I thought about it, the more worried I became. There was also one more possibility that made me lock the door and push the desk in front of it. What if he was hired by Lucille to finish me off? She could’ve easily lured someone with money.

With shaky hands, I brought my covers over my head and tried to calm my racing heart. IT was going to be alright. I was paranoid. Dr. McMichael was a mere stranger who was looking for a place to stay, just as he had stated.

If he was truly a friend of Edith, perhaps he could help me. Maybe he could help me stop Lucille once and for all. 

And so, I had absolutely no sleep that night.

I ended up pushing the desk back into place before leaving to sit in front of his door. I had to talk to him before he left. Even if he ended up being an assassin, at least I tried. A part of me wasn’t even that afraid of death anymore, I just didn’t want to be tortured endlessly.

“What are you doing here?”

I gasped, jumping when I heard his voice. “D-Doctor…!” I dusted my dress, hoping that I didn’t look like an uncivilized lunatic stalking him.

“What are you doing here in front of my door?” he questioned, again.

“Your inquiry about Alderhall… I couldn’t stop thinking about it. Why do you want to go there? It’s not… is it…” I bit my lips. I had it all figured out, last night. Why weren’t he words coming out properly, now? “Is it Edith?”

He froze. “What do you know about Edith?”

“I’m a friend of hers. I… I used to live there,” I said.

“What else?” he demanded.

I looked away. “It’s not safe there. If you’re Edith’s friend, help me save her and Thomas,” I pleaded, hoping that this was enough to get him on board.

“Come in, I think we should talk about this privately.” His voice was low, but his eyes were determined.

Hesitantly, I walked into his room. It was immaculate; everything was made as if it had never been touched.

Sitting down at the small table, I began to spill out the secrets I had never told anyone else – the oppression, the abuse, the deaths, and what had recently happened to me. The only thing I kept out was the forbidden relationship. He didn’t need to know about that.

“I must go there immediately,” he said, putting on his coat. “If what you told me is true, then there is no time to waste. I knew that there was something suspicious when Mr. Cushings died. I should never have allowed her to leave!”

I grabbed his arm. “Thomas is not a bad man. Please, don’t hurt him. He’s trying his very best to keep Edith safe.”

“I’ll see what I can do, but Edith will always come first.” He was gone, leaving me to wonder if I had done the right thing or if I had just signed Thomas’ death sentence.

I spent the entire day in a state of worry. Barbara refused to allow me to start working, so all my time was spent in my head where my thoughts ran rampant. What if Thomas died in the crossfire? What if Lucille lost it and killed him?

“You have to eat, dear,” Barbara urged, squeezing my hand. “If you don’t eat, you won’t heal properly.”

I only managed a few bites before the nausea hit. It was late. He should’ve been back by now if everything had gone smoothly.

I gnawed on my lips, until they were red and raw. “Barbara, I have to check up on a few things. Please, send for a carriage for me?”

“No, you can’t go back,” she scolded, seeing right through me. “Every time you return from there, you are inches away from death.”

“ _Please_. He can’t die! He can’t die… I love him.” I fell to my knees, crying into my hands. He was too precious to me. I didn’t even care if she knew about us, anymore. I needed to know that he was safe. “Please, Barbara. Even if I must run up there…”

She hugged me. “I’ll fetch them, but please, return safe. I will not have you on the verge of dying, again. You will give this poor woman a heart attack!”

“I promise,” I told her, wiping away the tears.

Fifteen minutes later, I was on my way back to Alderhall. I had a feeling that this would be the last time, whether I manage to survive or not. I was tired of this fight, but I wasn’t willing to give up.

“Here we are, my lady,” the coachman said, opening the door for me. “Do you wish for me to wait for you ?”

I looked at the dark building, shading us from the sun. “No, but if you could return at night? I do not wish for you to wait here all day.”

He nodded. “Very well. I shall return when the sun sets.”

Gathering up all of my courage, I walked around the back and peered into the broken window that led to the old, moldy library. No one ever came in here anymore. There had been so much water damage that the only visitations were from the moths. They were on every shelf, boring holes through the old, worm pages.

I used to love this place as a child. The books were the worlds and lives that could never be. It was a place where Thomas and I shared a quiet time together, discussing arbitrary hidden meanings of literature.

The door creaked open, revealing the darkness of the hall. It felt like the day we went searching for Enola. I hoped that it wouldn’t end the same way.

With one hand wrapped around the handle of the steak knife hidden in my sleeve, I went on in search of any sign of life.

I tiptoed down each hall, looking through each room before going upstairs. It was almost as if this house had already been completely abandoned.

When I could find nothing on the second floor, I hesitantly moved to the attic. My heart pounded in my chest. They had to be here. This was the only place other than the mines and I wasn’t willing to check there unless I had to.

I shakily pushed the door open, revealing a horrible scene. Lucille had the letter opened in her hand and sank it into Thomas’ face. It went in like smooth butter. She as shouting at him, but I could hear none of it as I lunged at her with my knife.

“Get off him!” I screamed. The same rage I felt for Margaret resurfaced. My knife pierced into her chest. I had hoped to hit her dead, blackened heart. Instead, she let out a pained cry and pushed me off. She pulled out the knife, drenched thick in her blood.

“How dare you?!” she shrieked, jumping on top of me. The knife splattered blood on to my face as I tried to wrestle it back from her. “I should’ve let you rot! I should’ve let mother kill you!”

I had no time to decipher what she meant when the knife plunged into my shoulder. The pain was excruciating. I tried to ignore it the best I could even when she pulled it back out and tried to stab me, again.

Fritting my teeth, I yanked the knife away. It flew above our heads and slid to the corner of the room. She tried to grab for it, but I pulled her back and punched her in the face. “Stop it, Lucille!” I shouted. “I don’t want to have to kill you! I just want my family back!”

“You are a selfish little girl who knows _nothing_ about family nor sacrifice!” she snarled, her hands squeezing my throat.

I claws futilely at her hands. “Y-You’re the one who’s s-selfish! C-Can’t you s-see that… none of us are h-happy?!”

She smiled coldly at me. “That will change when you’re gone. Thomas and I will have our happily ever after.”

Black dotted my vision. My struggles became weaker and weaker.

Suddenly, the weight was pulled off me. I gasped in pain, filling my deprived lungs with oxygen.

“Don’t touch her!” Thomas had thrown her to the opposite side of the room.

“Thomas, love. You’re not going to hurt me.” She gently touched his hand. “You love me and we could still be happy together. We could try to start a family, again. Don’t you want a baby?”

He shook his head. “No, Lucille. We could’ve, but not like this.” He clenched his hand around the letter opener that he had managed to pull out of his face. “It’s time to let you go.”

He plunged it into her neck and pulled it back out. Blood spurt everywhere, covering the wall and carpet. 

“W-Why…?” she gurgled, looking at him as if he had been the one to betray her. “T-Thom – “ Her body slid to the side and she was finally gone.

I let out a sob, crawling over to Thomas who had collapsed beside the body. “Thomas… Brother…” I touched his face where the dark blood was half dried. “Stay awake. Don’t leave me.”

His right eye cracked open. “I’m glad you are safe. I… I would never be able to forgive myself if… you…”

“I’m here, but you can’t leave me, either,” I cried.

He smiled weakly at me. His arms wrapped loosely around my waist. “I love you, darling,” he mumbled.

“Don’t fall asleep. We still have to leave here.” I wanted to drag him out, but I was too tired. I had pushed my body too far, this time. I touched the wound on my shoulder. Was this it? After everything…

We were all still going to die here.


	5. Amelia Sharpe

I forced myself to wake up. It was so hard when I was still weak from the imprisonment and the blood was still running from my wound. 

“Thomas…” I shook him, but he was completely motionless. “You can’t leave me!” I placed my head on his chest and heard the faint telltale sound that he was still alive.

With all the strength in me, I began to drag him out of the room. I hoped that I wasn’t injuring him further, but I had to get us out of here. I refused to let this be our fate.

When I got to the stairs, I tried to get us down as slowly and gently as I could. If I lost my grip for even a second, he was going to go tumbling down.

“You’ll be alright, Thomas. I’ll get us out of here,” I mumbled.

I let out a shriek when my foot slipped and the two of us fell the rest of the way to the bottom floor. The wind was knocked out of me when his body landed on top of mine. 

I groaned in pain as I shifted his chin away from my wound.

Hopelessness made the tears fall, again. I wasn’t strong enough for this. I tried and tried, but Lucille had been right all along. I was nothing but a scared little girl pretending to be someone EI wasn’t.

_“Don’t give up!_ ”

I looked at the top of the staircase and saw all of them standing there – even mother.

I held Thomas tighter to give myself some comfort before worming out from underneath him. Panting, I continued our journey out.

Eventually, the orange sky was above us. The fresh air felt wonderful.

I lay on his chest, feeling the strength leaving me, once more. “I love you, Thomas…”

…

When I opened my eyes, this time, I immediately closed them, again. The light was blinding. Everything hurt even worse than when I was starving in the basement. I couldn’t even bring myself to move.

I laid there, thinking and wondering. Was I dead? Was Thomas dead? Why did everything have to hurt?

I didn’t want to be alive anymore. I was so tired of fighting. Maybe it was really time to let go.

“Amelia?” A soft voice and a gentle touch truly made me think that I was dead and sent to heaven. “Love, open your eyes for me.”

I tried, but my body refused to listen as if I had already missed my chance. It was difficult to even move my hands, but when my finger twitched, it was immediately seized by the angel. “That’s it. I’m here, darling.”

“You need to eat something and rest up. You still need to heal yourself.” Who was this other person?

“I will, but not yet.” The hand touched my face. A finger rested on my lips. “Come back to me.”

“Thomas, she won’t want to see you kill yourself after she risked her life saving you,” she snapped. “This is not a Shakespearean story and the two of you are not Romeo and Juliet.”

_Thomas…_

_Thomas!_

_Thomas was here!_

“Give me a moment longer with her,” he said.

There was a soft sigh before the door quietly shut.

“You must live for me. I know that I’ve failed you. I allowed all of this to happen because I was weak, but I promise that things will be different. I just need you to wake up. We’ll move to a cottage in the country side. It’ll only be the two of us.”

His lips fell on mine. The love and warmth poured into me and when he tried to back away, I managed to gather enough strength to keep him with me.

Our blue eyes finally met.

“Amelia…” he breathed.

“Thomas.” I smiled back at him before reaching for the stained bandages wrapped around his head, covering one eye. “Are we dead?”

He chuckled, tears falling down his pale face. “No. We got away, love. We’re fine.”

“Good, because I hear you promised me a cottage,” I quietly said to him.

He shook his head. “I promise you the world. We can do whatever we like; wherever we like.”

“Can we?” I gave him a coy smile, tugging at his tunic.

He closed his eye. “You don’t know how much I wish to give you that, but not now. You are wounded. I do not wish to injure you further.”

I pouted, continuing to try to id him of the barriers to his body, but he merely laughed and brought my hands to his lips, kissing them. “Be good.”

He shifted me over before lying on the bed and placed me on top of him. My ear was on his chest, listening to the soft, rhythmic eat of his heart. “Just this once,” I whispered, feeling my eyes begin to drift closed, once more.

Unfortunately, as soon as I was asleep, I was thrust back into the nightmare of Crimson Peak.

_“You’ll never leave here,”_ _a voice hissed._

_Hands clawed at me. They were red and dripping with blood. “Get away from me!” I scrambled back, trying to get away from them._

_My back hit a solid mass. When I looked up, I saw that horrible, cold smile that promised pain and death. “Hello, sister.”_

_Shaking my head, I moved to get away from her, but her hand tightly grasped my arm. Where she touched, it was as if her hands were so cold that it burned through me. ‘Leave me alone! You’re dead, Lucille!”_

_“I am, aren’t I?” Her face contorted and seemed to melt off, revealing the crimson flesh beneath. Her mouth was still spread in a wide smile that would’ve looked strange even on her normally stoic countenance. It was terrifying now. “And whose fault is that? You condemn me for what I’ve done, but you are no better!”_

_I shook my head again. “No, I’m not like you. I was only trying to protect the people I love. I only want to live in peace. All you’ve done was shed blood for greed! I am_ nothing _like you!”_

_“You are greedy for his affection,” another voice snarled. “You killed me because I wanted my own husband’s affection!” Margaret appeared in the last outfit I had seen her in – the one I had killed her in. “You are what is wrong with this world. Your sins will not go unpunished. Eventually, everyone will know what you’ve done!”_

_“You were trying to kill us!” I argued. “I never wanted you to die. I never wanted_ anyone _to die! I only want to be left alone.” Tear streamed down my face as I tried my best to shut them out, but it was impossible. Their voices continued to echo in my head._

_“Tell that to everyone who’s dead because of you!” they shouted._

_“Why did you let me die, Amelia?” His voice wisped into my ears._

_With a gasp, I turned abruptly and saw him looking sadly back at me. He was nothing but a mist of smoke. His eyes were closed. The wound Lucille had inflicted upon him marred his beautiful face._

_I shakily touched his cheek. “Thomas. No… No, you can’t be dead. We got out of there!”_

_“Did we?”_

_I looked around to see the familiar broken roof that was allowing crimson snow to flutter around us. “I… I…”_

_This had to be a nightmare._

_“Thomas…”_

_“WHY DID YOU LET ME DIE?!”_

“Wake up!”

I jolted up, looking around, trying to figure out where I was. “Thomas? Thomas?!”

“I’m here, darling.” He wrapped his arms around me. “Shh… I’m here. You’re safe.”

I let out a sob, burying my face into his chest. “I… I dreamt that I let you die. You hated me and… and…”

“Hush, my love.” He kissed my forehead. “I will never hate you.”

As I continued to cry, he whispered sweet nothings into my ears. Whenever I closed my eyes, I’d see all the faces staring back at me.

“Come back to me.” His voice pulled me from the darkness. “You’re here, away from Alderhall. They can’t hurt you anymore. Lucille is gone. We don’t ever have to go back there.”

We take several days just hiding in the room. Barbara brought in food every once in a while. Edith and Dr. McMichael would drop by to check up on us.

Physically, we felt better, but mentally, we were both plagued by nightmares. We’d take turns waking each other up and lying to ourselves until one of us believed it.

It was as if the darkness of Crimson Peak was still festering inside us – infecting and corrupting. There had to be a way to get rid of it.

“I’ve warmed some milk for you,” Barbara quietly said, setting down the tray. “It will help you sleep.”

She didn’t understand that falling asleep wasn’t the problem. No one did. It was what we saw in our sleep that kept us awake. We forced ourselves to remain conscious as long as possible. The fears would always return and the uncertainty of what was actually reality.

“I don’t want to live like this,” I mumbled to Thomas when Barbara left the room with a resignated sigh.

He stroked my hair. “It’s my fault. I’ve failed you. Give me time to make it right.” The sadness in his voice made it impossible for me to deny him. Things could only look up from here, right?

I might as well keep going until everything falls apart again. I could at least try that much.

With my eyes closed, I took several deep breaths, willing the monsters to stay away long enough for me to relax, but that didn’t last long when I felt a warm hand slide up my leg.

My eyes snapped open to see a mischievous smile on his lips. “What are you doing?” I mumbled.

“Hoping that I could start my redemption,” he whispered, capturing my lips with his. We hadn’t had any intimate contact since… since before I was left to rot in Alderhall. “I love you so much, darling.”

I sighed, pushing myself closer against him. “I love you too, Thomas.”

With one hand rubbing my thigh and the other tugging away my nightie, we managed to somehow rid my clothes with minimal separation. His thumb brushed the bundle of nerves that made me gasp. “So responsive…”

I tried to wiggle away from him, hoping to even the playing field by taking off the layers of fabric that still kept him from me.

“S-Stop!” I cried, but it was too late. He latched on to my nipple and brought me over the edge before I was ready. “Thomas… Thomas…”

He shrugged off his shirt, popping several buttons as he did so. Both top and bottom were thrown haphazardly on to the floor. “Amelia, love…” When I reacehd down to stroke him, he seized my wrist. “Not tonight. Tonight is for me to pleasure you. Let me treat you how you deserve to be treated. Let me treat you like a goddess.”

I could do nothing when he placed his mouth between my legs. His tongue moved along my slit, tasting the juice that was leaking out of my core.

My heavy pants and low moans fuelled him on. I tried to keep quiet, to stop the others from knowing what we were doing, but he grabbed the pillow I had on my face and placed it beneath my lower back.

“I want to hear you scream for me,” h purred, sliding a finger into me as his tongue continued to work.

I shook my head, biting my lips to keep the next moan silent. “They’ll know!”

“Let them know. If they condemn us, then we know who our true friends are.” He slid up my body, looking deep into my eyes. “We don’t need anyone else who will hurt us for being ourselves.”

My lips touched his. “Take me, then. Make me forget that there are people here all around us. Make love to me until you are the only one I remember.”

He groaned. “Anything my lady wishes.”

Shifting my hips forward, he slowly entered me. I clenched my eyes in discomfort. It had been far too long. My body ended to readjust to his size.

When he was fully sheathed inside me, we were both gasping and panting. “So tight…”

I buckled against him. “More. More!” I whined.

He smirked. “So needy. Whatever shall I do with you?”

“Give me everything that I want?” I left butterfly kisses along his jaw line.

“Of course.” He slid out until only the tip remained within me before slamming back in. The force pushed the bedpost against the wall. He didn’t give me a second to recollect myself before rhythmically thrusting in and out.

I held on to him as if he was my final life line to sanity. My beautiful Thomas who was as broken as I was, but willing to do anything to make this right. How could I ever disappoint him?

As we both cried to the stars together, I knew without a doubt that everyone knew exactly what he had done and how much he meant to me, but it didn’t matter. We were where we were meant to be and we were ready to fight anyone who tried to take this away from us again.

Come morning, Barbara knocked, dropping off food as she usually did. Her eyes held nothing unusual. She didn’t judge us for what we had done, but I had a feeling that she already knew that our relationship was always more than what we tried to portray to the public.

When Edith came, she gave us a small, bashful smile as if she had walked into something intimate even though Thomas was sitting at the writing desk. “Are you feeling better?” she asked, standing by the table and fiddling with her sleeves.

“Yes, thank you.” I smiled back at her. “How… How did we end up back here? I thought for sure that we were going to die at Crimson Peak.” The question had nagged at me since I woke up, but was never ready to start talking about what had happened.

“The coachman found you and had taken you down the mountain where we were still trying to get off ourselves. We should’ve stayed to help you, but Alan was injured and I was so terribly frightened…” She looked down guiltily, but I pat her hand. No part of me thought this was her fault. It was us who had done her wrong.

“I don’t blame you for anything,” I told her. “I’m happy that you are even talking to us after what happened.”

She shook her head. “The only one I blame is Lucille. She was manipulating everyone. What she had done to you… I can imagine why no one else tried to defy her.”

“Thank you, Edith,” Thomas said, smiling at the woman who had been so forgiving. “But perhaps there are some things we still have to do for all of our interests.”

Looking up at him, she nodded. “I do believe you are correct.”

It was something that was rarely done, but we all went out in search of a minister who could give them a formal divorce. We were all given scolding looks and a firm lecture of proper conduct and how our reputations would be dragged through the mud, but none of that mattered. We had already found our significant others.

“It’s done, my love.” He wrapped his arms around my waist and kissed the crown of my head. “If you wish, we could go to a different town or even county to cement our bond.”

I didn’t care much for that. A piece of paper didn’t hold a fraction of the love I had for him. It would change nothing between us. “Whatever you like. I already have everything that I ever need and want.” His body felt welcoming and warm against my back.

He leaned his face a little closer to mine. His lips brushed my ear. “Then I believe there are other things I wish to do with you.”

A shiver went down my spine.

“Alright, you two. This is becoming awkward for the rest of us,” Dr. McMichael mumbled, his eyes looking at everywhere, except us.

I giggled. “We should eat. There is a nice café here.”

Feeling more free than I ever had in my entire life, I led us to the cozy establishment. The delectable scent of freshly baked pastries immediately filled out noses.

Laying my head on Thomas’ shoulder, I felt like humming in contentment. I just wanted to stay like this forever.

“Here you are, sir, ma’am.”

Once the brunette walked away, I turned to the couple across from me. “Will you be returning to the Americas, soon? Or will you be staying here?”

Edith gave a small shrug. “There really isn’t anything for me back there and I do not wish to take up my father’s business. I think I will sell it. I am sitting quite comfortable financially and I’ve always wanted to travel.” She looked shyly at Alan.

He smiled back at her. “Anywhere you go, I will go too.”

Her face split into a wide smile.

I leaned my head on Thomas’ shoulder. They were so cute together. I wondered why Edith ever even decided to marry another man.

“How are you feeling, love?” he whispered.

I nuzzled his neck. “Content. Happier than I have ever been.”

“Same for me, as well,” he stated, tilting closer towards me as our meals were placed in front of us.

We ate quietly, comfortably. When people walked in and out of the café, I worried that they would stare and judge us for our forbidden relationship, but no one even cast a glance our way. It was almost as if we didn’t exist.

Perhaps there was really a chance that we could be happy like this forever. It wasn’t as if we knew many people here and even if our family name was infamous, our faces weren’t well known. We were so secluded at Alderhall. The only ones we had to be wary of were the potential investors Thomas had conversed with. There were only a few who have also seen me and knew me as his sister. 

“Where do you want to go after?” I asked Edith, dabbing my lips with a napkin.

“I think Alan and I will be taking a walk around, get to know this place while I can. Would the two of you like to join us?” she asked, but I could tell that she wanted some time alone with him, so I declined the offer.

Once everything was paid for, we split up. Thomas and I walked to the market where we purchased three beautiful bouquets of flowers.

I didn’t want to do this, but if I didn’t, I was never going to be able to find the closure I needed.

“We can do this another day,” he told me, squeezing my hand.

Shaking my head, I found us a carriage to take us back up to crimson Peak. The rest of our purchases barely fit at the back. We received a strange look from the driver, but it didn’t matter what he thought. This had to be done.

“I need to sleep,” I mumbled. “But as long as Alderhall still stands, I won’t be able to find any peace.”

He nodded. “I agree and I shall support you no matter what.”

The coachman offered to stay, but I waved him off after paying. This wasn’t something I wanted outsiders to see.

Thomas reached for my hand and together, we entered the dark house. The light filtered through the cracked windows and the roof that had collapsed all those years ago.

I went up to the attic and placed a bouquet of flowers there. “Pam…?”

She materialised in front of me. Her skeletal form was still unnerving to see, but I was no longer afraid of her. She was the best friend I had lost. The one who had been so kind, yet already suffered so much before Lucille killed her.

“I’m going to free you from here,” I told her. “I hope that you’ll be able to find peace and I’m so very sorry for what happened.”

“We both are,” Thomas added, despite not being able to see her. “You deserved someone who could’ve treated you better and I am sorry that that person couldn’t be me.”

She walked towards us, stopping inches away. Her hand reached out, hovering just against my cheek, but other than a cool breeze, I couldn’t feel anything.

_“Thank you…”_ she whispered.

Fighting back tears, I next moved to the room I had shared with Thomas. The dark red stain was still there. I placed the bouquet on top of it. I had quickly grown to hate Margaret, but she didn’t deserve the deceit and she most certainly didn’t deserve to die. 

I could barely remember that day, but I could still recall the feeling of her blood on my hands and on my face. I had been the one who killed her. If I could’ve talked her down, I would’ve, but when I saw her hurting Thomas, all I could think of was to get rid of her however I could. “M- Margaret?”

We waited for her to appear, but she never did. It was to be expected and probably for the best. There was only ill will between us.

“We’re sorry for what happened to you. It had never been our intention for it to end this way. We hope that you can find peace and move on from here,” I whispered before standing back up.

Thomas kissed my shoulder. “None of it was your fault. We did what we could to survive.

But was that enough?

Pushing the doubts away for now, we headed to the elevator. I found myself still having difficulty going down there. After this, I would never have to. I kept reminding myself as we stepped in.

Thomas wrapped his arm around my waist when we arrived at the bottom. The stench was atrocious and most of it was because of me. I had been there for months, the days had all blended together into a long nightmare. It had been purgatory, seemingly endless.

I placed the bouquet where the abandoned chains still laid. The clay coated my dress, but I knelt there, whispering to her. “I’m so sorry. You came with us hoping for freedom. Instead, we had taken everything away from you. Who was your lady love? I’m sure she is worried about your disappearance.”

_“Amelia…”_

Enola appeared beside me, hovering over my head as she stood tall. _“My love will miss me, but it will be fine. She is strong enough to move on.”_

She fell to her knees and wrapped her arms around me. _“I shall also miss you. Thank you…”_

I wiped my tears away. “No. There is nothing to thank me for. We don’t deserve forgiveness for what happened.”

_“I am glad I met you. This is not your fault.”_ She leaned in and left a cold wisp of a kiss on my cheek. “ _My best friend…”_

She turned to Thomas. “ _Thomas… My husband…”_ She let out a small giggle as if it was the most ridiculous thing she had ever said. “ _I, too, shall miss you. Pam has told me of your many blunders.”_

I gave a very unlady-like snort before relaying what she said to my brother who flushed, running his hand through his hair. 

_“Now, go… You no longer belong here. Free us from this place,”_ she said.

I nodded, letting out a shaky sigh.

“We’ll miss you, darling,” Thomas whispered, looking in the direction of where he could feel a slight presence that he couldn’t see.

I threw my arms around him. The weight was slowly lifting off my shoulders, but why did it have to be so sad? Were we truly ever going to be free of what we had done?

“We don’t have to keep doing this,” he told me, but I was adamant as we left the basement.

This had to end.

“Lucille…” I stared at her, playing a haunting tune on the piano.

She was still in the dark dress she had died in. Her skeletal face was void of any traces of clay. As we approached, she gave us as much attention as she would if she was still alive.

The music went on even when I placed the bouquet beside her. “I love you, sister,” I whispered.

Thomas echoed the statement, but she continued to ignore us.

We turned to leave when I felt something burning into the back of my head. I turned and saw the elusive regal figure. “Mother…”

She merely watched us leave with the trail of gasoline before our departing forms. I stood back, watching Thomas strike a match.

In moments, the old house was being engulfed in flames. We had left everything behind – the jewellery, the clothes…

Only a single photograph was clutched in my hand. It was the only one worth saving.

“Let us leave.”

With one last glance at the ghostly figures standing in front of the windows, we began our journey away from Crimson Peak.

…

Thomas could still smell the black fumes at the bottom of the mountain. His mind was stuck on what he had just witnessed. It was strange watching her talk to thin air, but it wasn’t exactly just thin air, either. He had felt something shift around him. T he chill brushed along his skin, rousing all the tiny hairs on his body.

There was still scepticism, until he heard their whispers wisp towards him. At first, he thought he was imagining things, but soon, he found himself able to vaguely follow what was being said.

It was completely mind blowing. How could there be another plane that he wasn’t able to see?

He looked over to his sister who was still dabbing at her bloodshot eyes. What could he do to make her feel better when he was feeling just as rotten?

“I love you, darling,” he whispered, pulling her into his arms once their childhood home was covered b y the tall trees at the base of the mountain.

She sighed. “I love you, too.”

They returned to their room by the lake and spent the rest of the day in bed. There was nothing more than comfort between them as they tried to stay as close as possible, trying to fill the void that had been growing as they tried to find their own peace.

When morning came, they went downstairs to see Edith and the doctor with their luggage by their sides. The two of them were speaking quietly to each other.

“Good morning,” Thomas greeted them.

When they fully turned, he could see a piece of paper in her hand. It was very similar to the one he had burned to foil Lucille’s plans. What was she doing with another one?

“Thomas! Amelia!” Edith smiled softly at the two of them.

“You’re leaving…” Amelia sadly mumbled. She was reluctant to say goodbye to another friend, but at least there was still a chance for them to see each other this time.

Their departure didn’t have to be sad. They were all alive and that was more than what they could say for the others in the past.

“This is for you.” Edith extended the document to them. “Despite everything, you were still a somewhat decent husband,” she joked. “Or take it as a thank you for keeping me safe for as long as you did. I know that Lucille had been slowly poisoning me with the tea and I’ve seen you switch it out several times.”

Looking down at the paper, he immediately shook his head and tried to give it back to her. “No, this is too much.”

Edith looked at Dr. McMichael, sharing a smile with him. “Don’t worry about it. The two of us have enough o last us several lifetimes. Take it before I take offense.”

And so, he accepted the small fortune, allowing this moment to change their future for the better.

They watched their friends leave and stayed at Barbara’s for a little longer before they went in search of a new place. It was a long search, but eventually, they found a cottage by the woods. The view wasn’t as beautiful as the bed and breakfast in front of the lake. Once the payments went through, however, it was theirs and that was more than they could ever ask for.

“Look at this, Thomas!” Her eyes sparkled as she opened a door to reveal a sun room where the rays filtered in, forming a halo around her.

It had been a long journey, but eventually, they slowly moved on from what happened on Crimson Peak. The light returned to her eyes and he could keep his away from her.

As she twirled around, he took several steps forward, successfully capturing her with his arms. He pressed their lips together, swallowing the surprised gasp.

He pushed her back until she was against the wall. “There is much work to be done here,” he growled, nipping down her neck. He reached back, undoing her bodice and popping a pink nipple into his mouth.

From the back of her throat came a high pitch squeak when he sucked her like a young babe. “T-Thomas!”

“That’s it, darling…” He had her step to the side away from the pool of her dress. “How long do you think it will take for us to claim each room as ours?”

Her legs quivered. His arms were the only things keeping her upright.

First, he took her fast and hard on the window still. Her bareback was pressed against the window, threatening to show everyone what they were doing.

Her soft cries grew louder and louder – the crescendo to a beautifully seductive opera. When she found her release, he carried her, still impaled on his cock, to the next room.

The kitchen table creaked as he thrust into her. It would be a shame if it broke, but it would be for a worthy cause. No one could say that it wasn’t’ well used before the end of its time.

Many of the other furniture in the house weren’t spare of the rough treatment. Unfortunately, they _did_ end up breaking a poor glass decoration hat fell when he pressed her against the wall of the sitting room.

“Mmph! T-Thomas!” Her eyes were clenched tightly shut. Her legs were wrapped around his waist as he continued to thrust into her. When she let out a sharp cry, he pumped her full of seed.

Her body slumped into him, boneless and panting. “No more,” she moaned, her tunnel still sucking greedily at his cock. “I can’t…”

He tried to move them away from the wall, but ended up stumbling against the arm of a long seating and fell back with her still in his arms.

She wiggled about, getting comfortable there.

He was glad that he had started the fire in the fireplace or they would surely freeze in their state of undress.

It wasn’t long before she was passed out on his chest. He ran his hand through her hair, enjoying this moment of peace.

This was their new beginning, something he never thought was possible, but there they were.

“I love you, darling,” he whispered. “I promise that I shall never let anyone hurt you again.”

She was his greatest love and his greatest regret and he was going to spend his entire life making it up to her.

The next few days passed by in a blur. The cottage was quaint and cozy, but there was still a lot of work to be done for it to truly become their home. They cleaned each room and placed freshly picked flowers in vases.

Unlike what they had before, this place was bright and rid of all tiny critters.

It took them two weeks before they were finally satisfied with the state of the house and once that happened, he could feel some of his inspirations return. It was something small at first. He painted his beautiful sister in various poses and surroundings before moving on to creating something more solid.

He carved small figurines of their long, lost friends and family. Then, he expanded his work to making the one thing that everyone had been pushing him to do – toys. Their demeaning remarks were going to become reality and he was determined to become successful.

Without the pressure of using up all the clay in Crimson Peak, he was able to explore his many interests.

He made a line of animated dolls that could blink. He even made little toy cars that could be turned on and move with a small motor.

With these few ideas, he managed to find investors to grow these trivial notions into a business that expanded to London. Amelia always accompanied him on these trips and instead of introducing her to the society as his sister, he had them know that she was his wife. Paperwork meant nothing. In his heart, she was his everything and that was all that mattered.

“I can see where you got this inspiration from,” the elderly curator mumbled as he stared at the large portrait he had done of Amelia. “It is very beautiful and I’d be delighted if you’d allow me to display this in my gallery.”

He smiled charmingly at him. “I’m sure we can work something out.”

Somehow, they finally managed to find their footing in the outside world. If they had only done this sooner, would things turn out differently? Would Lucille, Pamela, Margaret, and Enola still be alive? Would Edith still have her father and happily married to Dr. McMichael already?

It was something they were never going to know.

…

“Thomas, someone’s at the door!” I called out, stirring the stew one last time before turning off the new stove. “Thomas?!”

I sighed, wiped my hands, and went to the door myself. Where was he?

When I opened the door, I was greeted by an unexpected guest. “Luca…”

The boy who had chased after me all those years ago, no longer resembled a boy. T his was an attractive man who looked as if he could kill me with his bare hands.

“Amelia.” His voice was a low rumble. ‘Where is my sister?”

I felt my blood run cold. I knew that things were going far too smoothly. It was inevitable that the past would come back to haunt us.

“I haven’t heard from her for many months.” I was glad that my voice remained stable, but when he took a step towards me, I took a step back.

“Where is she?” he growled.

“I…” I didn’t know what to say to him. “She…”

A hand suddenly fell on my shoulder. “Luca.” My brother finally arrived. I could smell the oil pants on him. “Come in. Sit. There are some things that we must tell you.”

Luca silently followed us to the sitting room. I offered him food and drinks, but he declined both.

“There was an accident last year,” Thomas started. “Alderhall caught fire and burned to the ground. Unfortunately, both Enola and our sister were trapped inside. We should’ve wrote you as soon as possible, but we were trying to round up what little we had left. We had to start over from the ground up and it had been extremely difficult.”

Luca looked around with a scrutinising gaze. “You seem to be faring fine from what I can see.”

“Fortunately, we were able to pick ourselves back up, but not without much strife,” Thomas continued. “Believe us, we have grieved and cried. There was nothing more we could’ve done for them.”

Indeed, Enola was the one we had tried so hard to save, but Lucille had been ruthless. She seemed like such an unstoppable force. She was always one step ahead, stripping us to our most vulnerable states.

Luca let out a long sigh and when he opened his mouth, I was blown back by the sheer anger that emitted from him. “Do you think me stupid?!” he roared. “I have looked into your past! All those women who died shortly after marrying you… Where is Edith Cushing? Where did you hide _her_ dead body?!

“Luca!” I cried, placing a hand on his knee. “Edith is fine. She left Thomas for her childhood friend. They are travelling right now. Please believe us. We did not have anything to do with Enola’s death! I loved her like a sister. What happened was a terrible accident!”

He brushed away my hand. “I will not take your rubbish any longer. I have fallen for your charm once, but no more. Rest assure that your judgement day is near once the authorities have been informed.”

He abruptly stood up and ignored all of our protests.

No… I won’t be able to lose everything again, not when we finally had a chance at the normal life. “Luca, _please_ …”

When we reached the door, Thomas quickly spun him around and punched the enraged man, knocking him to the floor.

I covered my mouth, suppressing the scream that was threatening to burst out.

“I won’t let you ruin what we have,” Thomas growled, standing over the other man. “You will tell no one about what transpired.”

Luca sneered back. “You are mad! Not only will It ell the authorities, I shall make sure that both of you will hang for what you’ve done to my sister!”

Thomas’s eyes darkened, until the deep blue became nearly black. “Do you think I will even allow you the opportunity?” He produced a carving knife from his tool belt and straddled the other man.

“Thomas…” I mumbled, caught between wanting to stop him and letting him save our future.

“I have to do this for us,” he told me, his hand was shaking as he brought the knife o the frightened man’s throat.

Luca completely stilled. “Don’t let him do this, Amelia. You know that this is wrong. Karma will catch up to you both. Even if you kill me, _someone_ will find out what you’ve done.”

“Did you tell anyone that you came here?” Thomas asked, lifting an eyebrow.

Luca faltered and that was all we needed to know. No one knew that he had come looking for us and no one would suspect him to be here at the outskirts of town in a different county.

“Don’t do this!” he whimpered.

I closed my eyes. “Wait, Thomas!” I stopped him before he could run the blade across the soft flesh.

“Thank – “

“Amelia…”

“Not here. His blood will stain the floor,” I stated. “Do it outside. M – Make it as painless as possible.”

I didn’t want Luca to die, but he was giving us no choice. It was us or him. Two sinners against the world.

When the deed was done, Luca was buried in the woods where he had died. Thomas’ blood-stained clothes were burned and we bathed in scalding hot water until our skin was red and raw.

Once dried, we crawled into bed. I laid my head on his bare chest, wondering how it ended up like this. How were we any better than Lucille?

We were becoming the monsters that we hated.


End file.
